Welcome to our interview series where we learn more about local East Bay providers who support our clients along the road from fertility to the postpartum period. We sat down with Katie Sullivan, M.Ed, CPPD to hear all about how she helps new parents.

1. Tell us about how you decided to create Parenting Doula.

When my youngest niece was born, I became my sister's go-to parenting resource, drawing on my background in early childhood and my own experience as a new mother. Leaving my teaching job during my first pregnancy, I missed parent education and working with families and I was grateful for a chance to share my expertise once again and be of service. My sister and her husband later sparked the idea of online consulting which would allow me the opportunity to balance parenting my 1 1⁄2-year-old and 3 1⁄2-year-old with pursuing a fulfilling career. The name “Parenting Doula” resonates with my goal: providing support, care, and guidance through the challenging transition to parenthood in the initial weeks after birth and throughout the early years.

2. What is your favorite way to support families?

I love working with new parents before and after birth because I can serve as a reliable filter through which to sift the overwhelming amount of parenting information at one's fingertips. Additionally, at this stage of parenthood, I enjoy providing guidance for preparing individualized functional spaces for the new baby and the birth parent and giving tools for supporting the new baby’s development of mature sleep cycles and circadian rhythms. Beyond that, at any stage, I find it satisfying to give people answers to their questions and create customized holistic caregiving plans. When I get a complete picture of the family and the home environment, I can pinpoint subtle adjustments and recommend more significant changes that align with their values and support their goals.

3. What is the sweet spot in terms of time or amount of sessions to get the most benefit working with you?

To get the most benefit from working together, I recommend at least a 4-6 week collaboration with clients, so I can offer consistent check-ins to address questions, troubleshoot, delve deeper into specific areas of interest, and provide ongoing support, whether the focus is on a particular topic like sleep- or not. However, I realize this may be more of a commitment than some people are looking for, so I do offer mini versions of my packages as well as à la carte services that can be scheduled as needed.

4. Your experience in early childhood education and Montessori gives you a unique lens to support families. What do you bring with you from all those years of experience?

One of the biggest things from Montessori theory and early childhood education that I consistently return to is the crucial concept of the prepared environment. Briefly, this means that modifying an element in a child's environment will result in a corresponding behavior change. Additionally, it is critical to consider the child's age and capabilities when arranging their space. In my approach to parenting and sleep consulting, I find my work most effective when operating holistically in part by treating the child’s environment as a significant component that is deliberately considered.

5. How has your own experience as a parent changed the way you think about sleep training and child development?

As a new mom, I constantly felt the pull of my heart connected to my daughter exacerbated by the frequent worry and uncertainty that often comes with the transition to parenthood. Sleep training could trigger this pull whether trying a cry-it-out method (which I did with my second baby, but not my first) or simply attempting to adhere to short wake windows or shift the baby’s nap schedule. This experience has given me a deeper understanding that all parents try their best and all parents have a hard time. Becoming a parent has strengthened my belief in supporting both the child and parents from birth to be able to sleep as well and as much as possible- and in getting help or making a plan when things are overwhelming.

6. When is the best time for people to reach out: before their baby arrives or after?

Supporting an infant’s sleep development is often easier if there is already a plan and a trusted resource for questions and troubleshooting in place. The Virtual Postpartum Doula Package and the Infant Age-Based Package are designed to get new parents through the early weeks and prepare them for their child’s transition to sleep maturity around 4 months (what many people call the four-month sleep regression). That being said- there is no bad time to reach out! Whether you want to plan for a developmental shift like sleeping through the night or you are at your wit’s end and haven’t slept more than an hour at a time in months, I can work with you on meeting your goals.

7. Anything else you would like people to know about you and your business, Parenting Doula?

If you have questions about early sleep and parenting or are curious about our packages, don't hesitate to reach out! I provide free 30-minute initial consultations, host complimentary online events, and offer monthly promotions. Cost and time shouldn't be a barrier—Parenting Doula provides options for all schedules and budgets. If you don't find what you need, feel free to ask, and we can customize an individual option for you.

Katie Sullivan, M.Ed, CPPD, is a parenting and sleep consultant, an early childhood professional, a certified postpartum doula, a Montessori educator, and a mother of two. She has studied and worked with young children and families for nearly twenty years and has a special love and appreciation for the infant and toddler stages. Learn more on her website here.