A lot of people don’t really understand what the postpartum period is like, especially when it comes to self-care. Family, friends, and other caregivers are important during this time, but how can moms figure out what actually helps after having a baby?
In this special Mother’s Day episode of Momcozy Village: Together We Grow, host Natalie Gouché chats with celebrity doula and Mama Glow founder Latham Thomas about what caring for mothers after birth really looks like. Latham shares that seeing a lack of in-person community care led her to start Mama Glow, a Black-led group that has trained over 3,000 doulas on six continents and keeps working for better maternal care.
One of Latham’s main ideas is “mothering the mother.” This means seeing postpartum care as listening closely, being present, and offering support that fits each mom’s needs. Latham challenges society's focus on returning to work and being productive rather than on healing, bonding, and building community. She also says that being isolated or separated, or returning to work too soon, can be hard on both the parent and the baby. Latham encourages everyone supporting moms to care for them the way you would care for a baby, never leaving them alone, making sure they’re fed, keeping them warm, and looking after them in every way.
Latham shares easy and practical self-care tips for new moms, like journaling or recording voice notes, talking with a support group about your daily ups and downs, practicing mindfulness and affirmations, getting outside, and taking breaks from your phone. She also talks about different ways to pay for doula care, including private pay, insurance, FSA or HSA accounts, Medicaid, and free options.
Episode Highlights
03:22 – What does “mothering the mother” actually mean?
07:34 – What are the biggest misunderstandings of post-partum self-care?
11:11 – Treating the mom like a baby.
14:59 – Some realistic ways that moms can care for their bodies day to day.
21:22 – Simple shifts moms can make if they’re feeling overwhelmed.
22:35 – Debunking the cost of post-partum dolas.
About the Guest: Latham Thomas
Latham Thomas is a top women’s health expert, advocate for Black maternal health, entrepreneur, professor, and best-selling author. She started Mama Glow, a global platform for maternal health and education with a community of over 3,000 doulas in the U.S. and around the world, and the Mama Glow Foundation, a nonprofit that works for reproductive justice and birth equity. She serves on several advisory boards, has worked with Mt. Sinai and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to improve doula access, and in 2022 became a Visiting Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Brown University. Mama Glow’s doula training was the first course of its kind at an Ivy League school.
Latham was named one of Oprah’s Super Soul 100 and has worked with celebrity clients like Alicia Keys and Anne Hathaway. She has written two best-selling books and created the guided meditation program "Peaceful Parenting." She also leads the annual Doula Expo by Mama Glow, which Good Morning America called the "Coachella for Birth Workers." With more than 20 years of experience, she is a respected speaker and advocate for better maternal health around the world.
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Momcozy
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Latham Thomas
Mama Glow Website | Mama Glow Foundation Website Instagram
About the Podcast: Momcozy Village – Together We Grow
Momcozy Village: Together We Grow is a podcast where moms gather to learn, share, and support each other. Hosted by Natalie Gouché, each episode features inspiring conversations on motherhood: from career transitions to mental health and beyond.
Backed by Momcozy, makers of innovative wearable breast pumps and cozy nursing bras, the podcast is part of a movement to empower moms through every phase of early motherhood.
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Narrated by Abbe Opher
Music by Sokratis Seirlis
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