Recently, I was featured in Forbes Vetted sharing expert advice on pregnancy sleep. While preparing for that interview, I realized many of my favorite strategies never made it into the final article—not because they weren’t important, but because they go beyond products and sleep positions. They focus on something even more fundamental: helping your body feel safe enough to truly rest.

Summer celebrations, backyard barbecues, pool days, and Fourth of July festivities are some of the best parts of the season—but they also bring soaring temperatures and an increased risk of dehydration.

Whether you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, or breastfeeding, staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your health and your baby’s well-being.

Today we’re sharing a refreshing Red, White & Blue Pregnancy-Safe Electrolyte Drink along with everything you need to know about why hydration matters during pregnancy and postpartum.

When my twins were born at 26 weeks at University of Cincinnati Hospital, everything I thought I knew about motherhood was turned upside down. They spent three months in the NICU, fighting and growing stronger every day, while I was learning how to navigate my own postpartum recovery. Those early weeks weren’t filled with soft moments of bonding- they were a blur of hospital walls, pumping, medical updates, and trying to take care of myself while worrying about my tiny babies. I didn’t know how to soothe the overwhelm or rebuild my strength without feeling guilty, and I wish I had.

There are moments in life that don’t just change you — they call you. For me, birth was one of those moments. I didn’t step into this work because it was trendy. I didn’t do it because it seemed like a good business idea. I stepped into birth work because something inside me would not stay quiet.

I was the woman who cried during birth stories. The one who leaned in when other people leaned back. The one who felt the sacredness of the room even before I had language for it.

There is something powerful about watching a woman realize her strength in real time. Something life-altering about witnessing a family being born. I remember thinking, This matters. This is holy work. And I knew I wanted to be part of it.

Social media has become one of the most influential sources of information about pregnancy and birth. For many expecting parents, it’s where they first encounter birth stories, learn new language around advocacy, and begin forming expectations about labor and delivery. As a doula, hypnobirthing educator, and facilitator of birth story sharing circles, I see both the power and the risk of this exposure every day.

At Nurture, our team of doulas believes that postpartum care is not just recovery — it’s sacred renewal. Recently, a few of our doulas (and I!) have begun training to become Postpartum Ayur-Doulas — doulas who specialize in Ayurvedic practices for the postpartum period.