I've been a birth doula and yoga teacher in Austin long enough to notice a pattern
A woman takes a birth class. Maybe a weekend workshop, maybe a four week series. She learns the stages of labor, practices some breathing, writes a birth plan, and feels ready. Then the baby comes. And suddenly she's home, healing, hormonal, and the only people checking in are her mom over FaceTime and a lactation consultant she met once
Austin has postpartum support groups, and they're wonderful. But here's what actually happens: you're three weeks out from birth, you're still wearing a diaper, you haven't slept more than two hours at a time, and someone tells you about a support group across town. So you put on real pants for the first time in a week, strap a newborn into a car seat, drive somewhere you've never been, walk into a room of people you've never met, and you're supposed to open up? You're supposed to say "I'm not okay" to a circle of strangers while your baby is screaming and your stitches are still healing?
It's a lot to ask. And most just don't go
That's the gap. Not the information, there are plenty of incredible birth prep resources and postpartum support options in Austin. The gap is the continuity. The relationships. The village
So we built one
I partnered with Maddie the Doula, a postpartum and birth doula here in Austin (and fellow Best in Birth winner), because we kept having the same conversation. The women who have the smoothest transition into motherhood aren't the ones who read all the books. They're the ones who had people. Real, specific people who knew their name, knew their due date, knew their birth preferences, and showed up anyway when everything went sideways at 2 am
The Village is a 6 month prenatal and postpartum experience for women due in June and July. It's small on purpose, eight women, because intimacy is the whole point
Here's what it looks like
We start with four Thursday evenings together at the studio, 6:30 pm, 90 minutes. I lead two sessions on birth, Maddie leads two on postpartum. No partners, no distractions. Just eight women getting real about what's ahead. Your partner stays involved through take-home exercises and separate partner class opportunities
Three prenatal yoga classes at Austin Yoga Lounge are included so you can keep moving, breathing, and trusting your body as your due date gets closer
In August, we come to you. Maddie and I visit each woman at home with a postpartum care package. Not a "let me know if you need anything" text. An actual person at your door during the most tender weeks
Then September, October, November, we keep meeting as a group. Babies on hips, coffee in hand. And here's the thing, when you walk into that September meetup you're not walking into a room of strangers. You've known these women for months. You watched each other's bellies grow. You heard each other's fears and hopes in that Thursday circle. So when someone says "I'm struggling," it doesn't feel scary, it feels safe. Because they already know you. They're already your people
Why this matters
Prenatal care in Austin is excellent. We have incredible OBs, midwives, doulas, childbirth educators, yoga studios, and therapists who specialize in the perinatal space. What we don't have enough of is continuity of community. Most birth prep programs end when the baby arrives, which is exactly when you need support the most
Postpartum isolation is real. It's not dramatic to say that, it's just true. You can live in a city of a million people and feel completely alone at 4 am with a newborn. The research consistently shows that social support is one of the strongest protective factors against postpartum depression and anxiety. Not information, not apps, not courses. People
That's what The Village is. It's not a class. It's not a support group. It's both, stretched across six months, with the same eight women, held by two practitioners who know your story from the beginning
Who this is for
You're due in June or July. You live in the Austin area. You want more than a birth class, you want to walk into postpartum with women who already feel like yours. Maybe you don't have family nearby. Maybe you do but you want friends who are in it at the same time. Maybe you've been to a lot of prenatal appointments and classes but still feel like something's missing
This is the missing thing
The details
Early bird pricing is available now through Tuesday, April 22nd. Regular pricing after that, with a two payment option available. Eight spots total
If you want in, don't wait. Not because I'm trying to create urgency but because there are genuinely only eight spots and I have a feeling this will resonate with the women who need it most ✨
With love and a little bit of nerves because this one is new and it matters,
Linds