Julia Pelly, MPH

Hi, I’m Julia, I’m a mom of (almost) four and the founder of Your Postpartum Plan. I started growing my first baby a few weeks before finishing up my master’s degree in maternal and child health and, like most first-time moms-to-be, did lots of reading, researching, and listening as the due date circled on my calendar approached. 

When labor started, I was confident I would rock birth, after all, I had a rock solid birth plan! And I did rock birth, but, when the golden hour ended, I realized that I didn’t have any sort of plan for what came next. The extent of my postpartum planning included making a few freezer meals, asking a neighbor to walk my dog until I could again, and storing a tube of nipple balm on my bedside table. 

Needless to say, I was blindsided by life after baby. With physical, emotional, and relationship changes I wasn’t expecting, and very little support lined up, my first months of motherhood were really, really hard. 

Since that first baby rocked my world I’ve seen countless moms hit the same post-birth wall and wondered, again and again, why we don’t talk more about how BIG the postpartum period can be. So now I do. As a La Leche League leader, birth and postpartum doula, and mom whose been there, I understand firsthand the specific challenges and joys that parents might experience in the first few months of their baby's life and just the sort of planning and support that can help them thrive.

I believe that we can, and should, normalize the conversation about what happens after the baby is born. And that helping moms make a postpartum plan can empower them to have the best experience possible. 

No two postpartum experiences are the same, and, just like birth, things don’t usually go 100% according to plan, but knowing what to expect, and making that plan, is the first step towards a newborn and postpartum phase you can savor, not just endure. 

Whether you’re here because you’re still pregnant and ready to make a plan, or because baby is already here and you’ve been a little blindsided yourself, I’m glad to have you. 

I can’t wait to help you make Your Postpartum Plan.