Dawn
Postpartum Doula and Lactation Counselor
Hi, my name is Dawn, I have lived in Hawaii for 38 years. I currently live in Pauoa with my husband and my three boys. I am a mom of twins and a singleton. My first pregnancy, with my older son, was a hard journey to conception. When I finally became pregnant, I spent hours reading about infant care and searching the internet on the right baby gear. What I discovered in the first year of my son’s life was that all the books and planning were helpful, but did not fully prepare me for the live show. Those first 6 months of parenthood came with deep emotional and lifestyle changes; both wonderful and stressful. For me, sleep was elusive, because my son had colic and cried all the time. What I learned in the first 6 months is that the most important part of parenthood is learning to trust your instincts and even with the best advice, you have to rely on your instincts above all. I also discovered how little support is given to a first-time parent.
When my twins came along, my older son was 2 years old. This time in my life was magical and very hard. I have never been so exhausted in my entire life. I found that all my friends and family with either children years apart or singletons did not give relevant advice for my specific parenting situation. Thankfully, I had infant experience once my twins came along, but it still wasn’t easy. During this period, I created a twin baby carrier so I could make my own childcare easier. Once I realized how helpful my baby carrier was, I knew I needed to share my baby carrier with other parents of babies close in age. Out of the mother of invention I launched TwinStar Baby, a company that sells twin baby carriers and products for twins. Designing products for twin babies has really helped me reflect upon those first years of parenthood and the nuances of caring for each individual baby and family.
There is no set formula for my family or your family. Each child and family have their own rhythm. It is a learning process when you bring baby(babies) home. My journey into parenthood really has made me passionate about helping families find their rhythm to suit their parenting style and their individual child’s needs. Becoming a new parent is the most profound and life changing event that anyone will ever go through. It transforms your soul and your lifestyle. My goal as a doula is to help families transition into parenthood with love, support and positive energy.
When I’m not supporting families as a doula, I spend time with my family and operate TwinStar Baby. The ocean is my healer, which I call my Vitamin Sea. I love to outrigger paddle and surf. I am always reading and listening to podcasts to grow my knowledge as a human, mother and business women. I am passionate about helping families transition into and thrive in parenthood. I especially love helping families with twins or multiple children close in age navigate the early years.
Congratulations! Pregnancy and birth is an amazing journey! I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to support you and your family into parenthood. I look forward to meeting you!
Working with Dawn has been such a blessing! Purchasing the 20 hour postpartum package was the best baby gift my family could have given me. This was our first baby and our families are on the mainland so we were on our own. Dawn has a vast amount of knowledge about all things baby and postpartum life for moms (and dads). She was a great support and comfort to my husband and I as we navigated the first few months of our new life with baby. She is so intuitive and knew the best way to support us even when I didn’t know what I wanted or needed during home visits. The text support was AMAZING too. Any little issue or question that came up I was able to text Dawn and she got back to me very quickly with answers and worked with me on troubleshooting. She gave my husband and I the confidence, love and support we needed to get through the first few months as new parents!"
Catherine