EP6: McLean McGown on Postpartum Doulas, Postpartum Care, and Mothering the Mother

Sep 17, 2017

When we recorded this episode she is 1 day shy of 40 weeks! Her daughter, Goldy Wolf, was born three days after we talked.

McLean McGown is a mother, wife, Postpartum Doula, Yoga & Pilates teacher, Nutritionist, Buddhist and yoga practitioner living in Los Angeles. Through her own pregnancy and birth experiences, McLean started learning about the birth world and happened upon a career that she never saw coming. Becoming a postpartum doula led her to her truest passion- to support women during one of their most vulnerable times in life and bear witness to their rite of passage into motherhood. 

“It takes a village to raise a mother, not just a child” 

In this episode, McLean shares:

• What a postpartum doula is
• Her personal struggle after the birth of her first daughter
• Feminine model of working
• Why breastfeeding is so hard
• How it’s normal to hate your husband
• How McLean went from "one-and-done" to a second baby 

What You’ll Hear:

• Difference between lactation educator/counselor and lactation consultant (1:45)
• What is the postpartum period- how long is it? (7:50)
• What is a postpartum doula (8:40)
• How does it work hiring a postpartum doula? (17:30)
• A day in the life of a postpartum visit (18:00)
• Financial planning for birth- prioritizing (26:00)
• Her first postpartum birth experience--driving 2 days postpartum (31:00)
• Your version of a 40 day lie-in (32:30)
• What no one tells you (40:40)
• When you hate your husband… (44:40)
• What our moms experienced (50:25)
• How to deal with the last days of pregnancy (52:30)
• How she went from hashtagging #oneanddone to two (54:00)
• Her own postpartum plan second time around (57:40)