SERVICES

Ofelia is a certified, professional doula and lactation educator, offering personal, non-medical support and expertise to women and their families throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. With more than 35 years of doula experience, Ofelia has distinguished herself by her reputation and track record as a premier doula in her field.

LABOR DOULA

As a doula, Ofelia strives to help mothers achieve their ideal births. She meets with clients multiple times to discuss their hopes and goals for the labor and birth of their new child. Services vary depending on the client’s needs and wishes, but include: massage, suggesting positions to promote comfort and labor, providing relaxation techniques, guidance for pushing, assistance with initial breastfeeding, and creating a peaceful, supportive environment. All births are unique, however, the years of experience have given Ofelia the knowledge and confidence to handle most any situation. No matter the need — a source of love, support, and comfort or a beacon of advocacy, assisting in self-empowerment, and reaching new goals or just to provide information — she is well equipped to create a community of support, not to replace a partner.

POSTPARTUM DOULA

The time after a baby is born can be one of the most beautiful, yet stressful and scary times for a new parent. Having support during this vulnerable time is extremely important. Everyone’s needs are different, so Ofelia offers clients the option to just meet for 1-2 consults or to have continued support over 2-3 months.

Ofelia's goal is to encourage and nurture parents in their new roles. First, she hopes to develop a genuine sense of self-confidence for new mothers and develop parental instincts for both the mothers and fathers. Second, she seeks to understand and work with the family to properly implement the desired parental values, rules, and guidelines — without judgment — for their new baby. Finally, she teaches parents strategies and skills that will improve their ability to bond with their babies. A calm baby who is growing well will help parents to feel more confident in their skills. Ofelia is also a certified lactation educator, so she is equipped to provide mothers with the support and knowledge necessary to establish a successful breastfeeding experience.

Doulas do not treat postpartum depression, but Ofelia is trained to recognize early signs and symptoms. She can help alleviate postpartum depression by creating a safe place for the mother — emotionally and in her physical environment. The hope is to make the new mother feel nurtured and cared for, as well as making sure she is eating well and getting enough sleep.

Postpartum Goals: Establish a regular sleeping, feeding, and activities schedule, make sure baby is adjusted to life outside your body, establish a strong bedtime routine, teach baby the difference between night and day, help you to learn your baby’s cues, assist with breastfeeding, teach you to care for your baby; bathing, feeding, diapering, nursery organizing, and establish a strong foundation for you and your family.

BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT

As a lactation educator, Ofelia and the Mothering the Mothers Team provide at home lactation support. Our team of doulas are certified lactation educators who have the experience and knowledge necessary to offer hands-on guidance to nursing mothers who may experience challenges with their newborn, multiples, and premature babies.

The service that we provide will include teaching mothers deep latching techniques, observing your newborn's feedings, ensuring the baby is gaining weight, supporting mothers with breast pain, plugged ducts, mastitis, signs of thrush, and tethered oral issues. Support will also include teaching the mother multiple breastfeeding techniques and positions, recommending nursing products and breast pumps, and instructing on how to pump and manage the mother's milk supply.

Breastfeeding is unique to each mother and baby. For some, nursing may come easy and for others they may need an extra hand. It is vital to seek support for breastfeeding since there are many advantages of having your baby nurse. Based on the CDC, breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for most infants, and it can also reduce the risk for certain health conditions for both mothers and infants.

RATES:

Birth Doula: $1,000 and up based on experience and training.
Postpartum Doula: $45 and up based on experience and training.

Lactation Consultation: $95 an hour.
(Rates differ for twins).

(CARROT applications accepted).

OVERVIEW OF SERVICES:

Free initial interview
Pre-natal visit(s) to prepare you for
your labor, birth and newborn
Assistance with birth plan
Telephone support and advice throughout
pregnancy and immediate postpartum
Suggestions for a more comfortable pregnancy
and birth
Massage and other alternative pain
relief measures during labor
Continuous, uninterrupted support throughout
labor, birth and immediate postpartum
Labor and birth positioning suggestions
for comfort and labor progress
Specializes in natural births, water births, epidurals, VBAC births, and breathing techniques

Lactation support, information and preparation
Provide nanny services through our nanny agency
Photographs or video of labor,
birth and/or new baby
Guaranteed backup doulas
A birth ball available for your use during labor
Referrals to other doulas
Diapering, sleep and baby care support
Understanding baby cues
Placenta encapsulation
Review of childbirth education classes
Accompany you to a prenatal exercise classes
Accompany you to childbirth classes
along with or in place of the partner
Accompany you to meet with doctor or midwife

Available in the following areas: Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Venice, Beverly Hills, South Bay, Pasadena, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and West Hollywood.

What is a Doula

WHAT IS A DOULA? An ancient Greek word meaning woman’s servant, a Doula is known to be a birth companion and a post-birth supporter. A trained labor assistant, knowledgeable in childbirth and post-childbirth, a doula provides emotional and physical support during a mother's labor. Her key objective is to offer continuous support during and after labor in order to ensure improved maternal and fetal health, and lower the risk of induction and intervention from pain relief injections.

About Ofelia

ABOUT OFELIA

I’m a wife and a mother. The greatest satisfaction and passion in my life has been being a mother to my three boys. After the birth of my first son, twenty-seven years ago, my life changed completely. The responsibilities of motherhood made me strong, and gave me the belief that I could do anything. Three years of breastfeeding him established a strong connection and built incredible bonds that we still share today.

Mother to three beautiful boys — Allen, my oldest, is now 36 years old and graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a Bachelors degree in Film and Digital Media and is now working in the television and film industry; for my second son, Giovanni, the last trimester of my pregnancy was difficult. My mother became ill and died one week before he was born, but his birth became a moment to remember and celebrate life, giving me the strength to move on. He is now 30 and has graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a Bachelors in political science with honors and recently graduated from law school; Nicholas, the baby of the family, is now 26 years old and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbra, with a Bachelors in political science and would also like to go to law school. My greatest joy has been being a mother — if I could, I would wish to be pregnant again.

I am so blessed to be able to share my joys and experiences as a mother with new parents through my work — standing at the door when they bring home their baby for the first time, reassuring them that everything will be ok, helping them through the process and reminding them about all the joys to come are just some of the many perks of my job.

My Goal and Experience:

From my experience in this business, my clients want to know who I am as a person and what qualities make me a good Doula. A quality that I hold dear to me is the respect I have for women and the passion and the importance of my work. I strongly believe that all women have the capacity to give birth in there own special way. I have been in this business for more than twenty plus years and have nurtured hundreds of babies and helped new families take their first steps to become parents. My goal is to develop new bonds between all members of the family, showing new and old parents the beauty and ease of motherhood and parenthood. What my years of experience has taught me is that, I can alleviate labor by coaching and teaching a mother to be able to have a birth that she wants, and making this wonderful experience unique for her and her partner. Nevertheless, I believe that our bodies are capable to do great things, and in terms of pregnancy, with the support of an experienced Doula, the possibility of a natural and beautiful birth is possible.

CERTIFICATION:

Lactation educator
Baby massage educator
Infant specialist
Infant sleep trainer specialist
Multiples specialist
Certified postpartum doula
Certified birth doula

CPR certified: adult/child and infant
Skilled to train your future nanny
No Criminal Record
Languages: English & Spanish
Vaccinations:TB tested, H1N1, Whooping cough, COVID-19

GALLERY

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TESTIMONIALS

"As we approach our little girl’s first birthday, I find myself doing the requisite 'where has the year gone?' mental exercises. I've replayed moments with a mix of gratitude and amazement that we’ve made it thus far. I've wished for the magical ability to slow down time so we can appreciate it all. I've had delirious moments of laughter, exhaustion and all the rest. Yet no matter the mix of emotions, one thing is constant:
I keep coming back to an intense feeling of appreciation and thankfulness that we found Ofelia.

My husband and I are an incredibly busy duo. Both with “lifestyle jobs": I travel a lot and he’s never off the clock, balancing his regular job intensity and a few business ventures on the side. We love being parents, but knew as we were having our second child, that our childcare team needed to be elite. Who knew that we’d find an absolute all-star, a heaven-sent addition to our family, a game-changer in Ofelia.

Ofelia provided Doula services and helped me prepare both mentally and physically for the birth process, which was right on the cusp of basketball season (I’m a college coach). I worked up until a few days before Reese was born, and Ofelia helped me to believe I could balance it all, but also helped build my confidence in that whatever choices I made in terms of work/life balance were the RIGHT ones for me. She was there the day Reese was born, and provided me with incredible care and immediately welcomed our baby girl, treating her as family.

From there, Ofelia provided postpartum doula services for over 3 months. She also traveled with me, Reese and the basketball team just 2 months into our daughter’s life. To say that working with Ofelia was life-changing for our family would be an understatement. With her warmth, humor, incredible skill set, professionalism and care, I felt empowered to love and care for our new baby while also coaching and caring for 14 college women, leading my coaching staff, and being present for our then 5 year old son.

Ofelia has a gift of making a sometimes chaotic home feel calm. She centers the needs of the family, teaches mothers how to do the day-to-day tasks of taking care of a baby, but also how to lean into their own maternal instincts. Ofelia includes dads and siblings and recognizes that a newborn impacts the entire household in various ways. Ofelia traveled with me, took care of Reese mornings, nights, whatever was needed. She also took care of me, and made sure the critical first months postpartum were happy and healthy for all.

When it was time to transition on, Ofelia helped us find an amazing full time nanny.I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to do it without Ofelia, but one of the greatest things she did for us was to actually make sure we could do it without her. She set us up for success. Ofelia is a baby whisperer! But she is also magically gifted with mothers and families, too. If you have the opportunity to work with Ofelia, I urge you to jump at the opportunity. She is truly one in a million, and has impacted me, our baby girl, and our entire family in lasting and impactful ways."

Los Angeles Times Article:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/story/2023-02-26/usc-coach-lindsay-gottlieb-family-basketball

Lindsay Gottlieb.

"Ofelia is like the Baby Whisperer. We learned about Ofelia from our best friends that hired her as a postpartum doula for their first and second baby. As newbie parents, it was hard to know what we didn't know. Ultimately, nothing prepares you for raising a newborn but experience itself. Ofelia was there to the rescue the day we returned from the hospital. I had a complicated labor and therefore my recovery was extra challenging.

My husband and I were beyond thankful to have Ofelia lead the charge with a number of tasks like optimizing our house for the baby, tailoring care techniques based on our baby's needs, and taking care of the baby all night so we could get some much needed rest. In addition to never sleeping and keeping a watchful eye on the baby, Ofelia makes sure the mother is doing well, both physically and emotionally. She was always available to answer a wide range of questions and offer expertise on a variety of subjects.

Ofelia even caught a medical problem with our baby and urged us to take her to our pediatrician. We're very thankful for Ofelia whom started to feel like our family member as well as coach. 'Ofelia is without a question an exceptional doula for both new and experienced parents.'"

Jane M.

"Ofelia and Mothering the Mothers were a godsend to us around the birth and first 6 months in the life of our twins. We had just moved to LA and our kids were born 8 weeks early. Ofelia visited me while on bed rest, helped me with lactation while the babies were in the NICU and then took care of all of us once they came home. She gave us confidence through her wisdom and teaching.

She worked tirelessly as a night nurse. Our children are fantastic sleepers and eaters and I believe this is due to Ofelia and her amazing team. She ultimately helped us to find a full time nanny who worked with from 6 mths to 3 yrs. I cannot say enough about her, her company and the remarkable professionalism, expertise and warmth she brought into our lives. WE will be eternally in her debt."

Edie D.

"Soon after my wife, Caitlin found out she was pregnant, she asked about getting a night nurse to help us with our baby for a few weeks just after birth. I said, 'Okay, if you really think we need one, but you know, I played a parent on TV. I don’t think it will be that difficult.' (I also played a doctor on TV too, but don't let me operate on you!)

Boy, I didn’t know how much I didn’t know. We ended up having help nearly 24/7 the first few weeks and continued having a night nurse for the first three months. Thank God for Ofelia Aragon! Not only was she kind and mothering to our new son, but she was also kind and mothering to Caitlin and me.

Ofelia was there in a loving way to guide both of us through all the ups and downs of those important first few months of our child's life. Plus, having Ofelia gave Caitlin time to rest and get her strength back to be the best mother in the world. Our time with Ofelia was our last chance for any sort of sleep and intimacy we’d get for a while. So, when it was time for us to be full-time parents, we felt ready and strong and very much connected to each other to take on the big job ourselves.

We can’t say enough good things about Ofelia, and we are so very grateful for her years of experience and her kind, loving ways. She’s always there, but not overbearing. She helps guide you but allows you to develop your own parenting style. We always felt safe knowing she was with our newborn Billy. In fact, she still comes back to visit from time to time, and he gets so excited! (and so do we!)

Ofelia is the real deal! A truly good-hearted person, with a strong sense of spirituality and integrity. Ofelia is someone you can always count on, and she will never let you or your family down.

We consider ourselves very lucky to have had Ofelia in our lives.

Now the best part of me - will always be my son and my wife, …until, of course, we have our next child, and I guarantee you, we’ve already got Ofelia booked!!"

With love and gratitude,

John Stamos.

“I’ve been waiting a while to write this testimonial about Ofelia and as I write this I can tell you it is because I just don’t know where to begin with all the praise my husband and I have for her. I will begin by telling you all that the birth of our daughter, Maya, this past November was the single most important event in our lives. We knew we wanted a doula for our birth and we were very “picky” in our selection. In fact, we put more effort and more energy into interviewing a doula than we did for finding an O.B.! I’m not one to ask for help very easily and I was not going to entrust the care of my child to just anyone. We interviewed many doulas, but then came Ofelia and she just stood out from all the others. As soon as you meet her you get this very warm loving energy from her and we immediately knew she was whom we were looking for.

Ofelia was there with us in the days leading up to our birth. She came over for visits and helped us prepare for our big day. I really loved and appreciated those visits. She made me feel important and she has a way of soothing you and calming you at your most nervous moments. She was there with us while we labored at home and made meals for us and put us at ease. She went with us to the hospital and we had a whole plan for our birth (or as much as a plan one can have for such an event). Well, it didn’t go as planned and I had a failure to dilate after many difficult hours of labor. I had to have a C-section and I was very depressed about it... during and after the birth of my daughter. I just couldn’t get over it for a while the days following my birth. Even though I had this beautiful daughter and she was healthy I felt disappointed. Ofelia was great support at this difficult time and she made such a difference in the recovery period. Not only was Ofelia with us for the birth, but we kept her on for six weeks after the birth as our postpartum doula.

As a postpartum doula, Ofelia is priceless!! It made all the difference in our lives to have her with us. We didn’t have to worry about being too tired or stressed to spend quality time bonding with our new baby. She is a natural with babies and I wanted to learn from her. I was the kind of new mother that wanted help with my baby but wouldn’t ask for it or I’d get mad if someone tried to help. But with Ofelia, I began to relax. She offers her help but without any judgment. From breastfeeding to putting babies to sleep to just baby communication... she’s brilliant! I’m a registered nurse and I can honestly say that Ofelia is one of the most professional, compassionate, and knowledgeable baby caretakers I have ever seen in action! Oh, and she also makes the most delicious drink to help aid with breast milk production... and I swear it works!

We are at the end of January and we wish we could have kept Ofelia on longer. The hardest part of our time with Ofelia was having to say goodbye. Not only is she helpful but she is more than that. She has become family and we love her and we look forward to seeing her sometime soon in the future. We hope to know her and for Maya to know her for many more years!

If you have the privilege of having Ofelia in your life and as your Doula just know that you and your family are in terrific hands. You can rest at night knowing that a loving, trustworthy and extremely competent professional is with your child."

Emily M.

MORE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OFELIA

"My husband and I have had the pleasure of Ofelia's postpartum doula services for the past two weeks. As first time parents, nothing prepares you for taking your newborn home from the hospital — or navigating all of the unchartered territory that comes with that. We had an unexpectedly traumatic birth experience so coming home was even more of a heightened experience, and we couldn't have asked for a better person to share that time with us than Ofelia. She also has new mom's best interests (and health, nutrition and sanity) at heart. It can be daunting to leave your newborn in the care of anyone so that you can simply jump in the shower or take a nap. We felt completely confident trusting Ofelia after meeting her just once. Meet her and you will see what we mean.

Having raised 3 kids of her own in addition to decades of clients, Ofelia brings nearly 30 years of experience to her work, and she not only loves what she does — she loves babies! She brings such a deep wisdom to her craft, her presence is warm and calming and she's able to really support new parents and impart this wisdom in a way that doesn't feel at all overbearing, challenging or condescending — it's all delivered with love and genuine concern for the family's well-being. One area of Ofelia's expertise that we were particularly interested in learning pertains to creating a balance between caring for your newborn and retaining some semblance of your relationship. Ofelia has helped us created a routine that allows us to have a quiet dinner together while our newborn is asleep — and creating that time together only strengthens our family bond."

I know she has a range of services — and based on our limited time with her thus far, when it's time for #2 we will be calling on her for birth doula services as well as postpartum support. We cannot recommend her highly enough!!!"

Eavalen A.

"From my perspective, as a husband and a new father, I felt we needed a doula to be safe, trustworthy, caring, and knowledgeable above all else. After all, I would be leaving my newborn child, and recovering wife alone, in my house with a stranger. This is the attitude I had during the several doula interviews I held leading up to the birth of our first child. There were a few other finalists, but Ofelia possessed a quality that put her ahead of the rest in my mind.

For me, it was her unhesitant, and enthusiastic response to working with the father, not just the mother during her work with new parents. Others I asked did not feel the father needed support at all. Ofelia guided me through training in diapering, bathing, and caring for my new son, as well as ideas to help my wife recover. She not only provided me with the recipes she used to create the most joyful, nourishing foods, but she taught me how she made them. We still make them these days. Ofelia truly cares for the entire family unit, not just the newborn, and not just the mother.

She has a great depth of experience and knowledge about babies, new mothers, and new fathers. She is completely humble, trustworthy, and I have had no worries when she cares for my child, ever. And I gladly tell anyone who asks me for a doula to call Ofelia first. If you have any particular questions, feel free to contact me via email at the following address: adfeinglass@earthlink.net."

Sincerely,

Adam Feinglass.

Dear New and Almost New Parents,

"As I was putting my perfect son to bed tonight, I was thinking about what and how to write about Ofelia. I realized that I needed to first tell you a little about myself. I waited, not intentionally, until I was 40 to have a child. I had worked in the corporate world, taught grammar school, gotten a graduate degree, always feeling competent and able, especially if I could read enough, or learn enough before I undertook a job. I thought I could do this when I became a parent. I read all the books and felt prepared to undertake this job as well. Then came the reality of the nurse handing me my crying infant in the middle of the night and saying “call me when you’re through.” Through with what? I thought. He clearly needed feeding, caring for, and suddenly all the books I had read flew out of my head. How do I do this? How do I know what he needs and what he is telling me? There are no books to translate “Baby.” She seems to know what my son needs and can show me his cues.

She can’t magically make all of the challenges of parenting disappear, but somehow, she makes them not quite so overwhelming. Yes, some of all of the parenting stuff come naturally, but bathing your baby for the first time, or wondering if he is eating enough, or how to swaddle him, these things, while exhilarating, can be scary too. I remember all of my friends with babies would say, “I promise, it gets easier.” Ofelia does not tell you it will get easier, she makes it easy; she shows you and allows you to revel at the moment, in the calm joy that she surrounds your family in. Ofelia is one of the kindest women I have ever met. She loves what she does and only wants new families to feel safe and comfortable. She is available to explain and teach but she never forces her ideas or opinions. Ofelia always says, “you are the mother.”

She is there to support you in getting to know your new family member. She included my husband in everything, he gave Weston his first bath under her care. She is motherly in the way that we all wish our mothers were. She is funny, warm, and open and most of all, she loves my son seemingly as much as we do. She has allowed and helped us to feel the joy and bliss of the first few months, and my family and I are indebted to her forever. Her goal as a postpartum doula is to leave. I know this is the case and I feel nothing but ready to take care of my son, but seeing her leave is like losing a part of the family. She is Mary Poppins with a Spanish accent. Clearly I cannot speak more highly of Ofelia. If you are lucky enough to have her enter you and your child’s life, you cannot have a more wonderful start to the most wonderful time in life."

Regards,

Kristen Keho.

Testimonials

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