I was recently introduced to Lucy Blair through a mutual friend and knew within minutes of talking with her that she is someone truly special. Her work as a postpartum doula and sleep consultant for mothers/families within the Columbia community is so near and dear to my heart. I couldn’t wait to sit down with her, learn more about her business, Bundle & Bliss, and share with the Columbia Mom community! Lucy’s vision for postpartum care, coupled with her vulnerability and honesty is such a breath of fresh air.Tell me a little about you and your family.
I’m originally from the DC metro area and came to South Carolina for college (go Gamecocks!). I spent several years in college ministry, which is how I met my husband, lived in a few different cities in the mid-south, and thankfully landed back in Columbia about five years ago. We have three kiddos: a seven-year-old daughter, a five-year-old son, and a three-year-old daughter.
Tell me how you first decided to start a business as a postpartum doula/sleep consultant.
To explain how Bundle & Bliss came to be, I think there are two important things to know about me.
First, I have always gravitated towards jobs and roles that involve helping, encouraging, teaching, and leading. I loved leading college Bible studies and became a fitness instructor after having my first child. While pregnant with our third, I completed a certification in Biblical counseling and used that to provide support to women in our church. I’ll always prefer to work in a context where I’m coming alongside other women in a coach/encourager role; getting to build relationships in a more intimate setting than many jobs.
Second, I had a very hard time transitioning into motherhood. To be completely honest (and if you cant be honest talking about motherhood to an audience full of mothers, when can you?) many times it has felt like mothering is something that comes naturally to many other women, and it just didn’t feel natural to me. In hindsight, I probably had a degree of postpartum depression and/or postpartum anxiety with my first child, but I just wasn’t connected enough to community or trained support services to even know, or know what to do about it. It was very hard to get through each day; I needed so much help.
Fast forward several years, and we’ve had two more kids, so obviously we’ve gotten somewhat of a handle on the whole children/parenting thing, but it remains, pretty much daily, the hardest thing I do every day is to be a mom. After a friend of mine recently had her first baby, she brought to my attention the surge of boutique postpartum services in larger cities, wishing Columbia had a more robust and professional network for postpartum care. I’d had somewhat of an entrepreneurial itch, so it seemed like the stars aligned in the perfect way for me to launch this business.
Because it is so new to the area, can you share what exactly the role of a postpartum doula is? How you support new moms/babies/families and what type of services do you provide?
If the term “postpartum doula” is new to you, think of it as someone whose job is mothering the new mother. I come into your home to keep you hydrated and nourished (I can prep meals for you, refill your water bottle, make sure you’ve got one-handed snacks nearby while you nurse), help you with your feeding journey, offer comfort measures and support for nursing, light housework while you rest and snuggle your baby, and of course, emotional support.
I work in three to six-hour shifts, and the time is totally flexible, to be tailored to mama’s needs. Sometimes I’m busy tidying up while mom and baby rest together, doing dishes and laundry, and cutting veggies. Other times it’s just me and baby feeding/changing/snuggling while mom takes a nice long nap and showers alone. My job is to nurture you while you nurture your infant; to make that transition a little easier.
What type of education or training did you complete to become a postpartum doula and certified sleep consultant?
I became a postpartum doula by attending a DONA training weekend (most of them are virtual now). Certification includes a lot of reading on a variety of birth/newborn/postpartum-related topics, lactation support education, and experience serving three families with positive evaluations.
Once I began working as a postpartum doula, I realized the need for supporting families beyond that initial first three months. Out of a desire to provide longer-lasting support when babies get a little bit older, coupled with my own personal experience implementing effective sleep-training techniques with my children, I decided to add Sleep Consultant to my resume and was trained and certified through the Center for Pediatric Sleep Management.
What has the experience been like serving new moms in the Columbia area in this way?
I’ve only been in business since September, but so far I can tell you Columbia moms are READY for more of this!! The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and all my friends who may be out of the infant years are crying “where were you two years ago?” or “How long can I claim to need postpartum support?” And I get it, believe me. Mothers need help! And culturally I think we do a really poor job of systematically prioritizing and ensuring maternal support. It’s been a joy to see my little business start to grow.
Do you have any advice for parents-to-be that perhaps aren’t aware of doula services or just advice in general?
Get the help! Whether it’s a postpartum doula, a lactation consultant, a mental health professional, you deserve the support. It is so much more important to fill your toolbox with support services than with the fanciest new designer rocking chair. You will not regret it.
You are a mom to three beautiful children, and your family is interested in adoption as well. Can you share a little about your desire to expand your family through adoption?
Yes, we are planning to adopt, and hoping it happens really soon! That might sound a little confusing after reading how challenging I find it to parent every day, but adoption has been a desire of ours for many, many years. We have been so moved by God’s adoption of us as sons and daughters, and adoption seems like the most significant way we can live that out here on earth. Not to mention, we are just very aware of how privileged we are to have a roof over our heads, food on the table, a really strong, healthy marriage, and love to give.
I may not feel like I’m just living my dream being a mama but in reality, I am humbled by what an opportunity it is to shepherd these little people and do the hard work of forming them into future adults. It’s such an honor to be their mom. We’re also looking forward to the openness of our future adoption and hope to build a really good relationship with our future child’s birth mom over the years.
Thank you for being with us today, Lucy!
I am so proud to know Lucy and to be able to share her story and business. My hope is we can begin to normalize this level of postpartum care for all mothers and families. I know all too well how hard the transition to motherhood is, especially with the absence of family and a true village of support, and I know I’m not alone!
You can follow along with the Blair family’s adoption journey at @theblairsadopt on Instagram, and find Lucy at @bundleandblisscola And be sure to check out her website.
