conscious
parenting coach
“A baby changes everything... but if you listen closely, they will always tell you exactly what they need.”
“A baby changes everything... but if you listen closely, they will always tell you exactly what they need.”
I offer expert care and friendly guidance as you bring your new baby home. With my experience as a postpartum doula and live-in newborn coach, I create a calm, structured environment. I focus on your baby’s needs and ensure you get the rest and care needed for recovery.
I tailor my approach to each family's unique needs, helping you thrive during the newborn period. No matter the challenge, I provide support, coaching, and practical guidance. With a professional live-in newborn coach, you can navigate the first few months confidently and worry-free.
While providing around the clock live-in care, our focus will be on three main areas:
Practical: This is the day-to-day care and keeping of the infant. Essential matters that include feeding, soothing, bathing and many other daily needs, as well as ensuring your rest and recovery.
Progression: This is the onward movement! We watch for signs of readiness for sleep shaping and setting daytime schedules. We become aware of the growth and development patterns that your baby is going through.
Perception: This is where my intuition and experience help to provide insight for what you may otherwise be missing: watching for postpartum issues, learning to better read your baby's cues and then setting our intentions for moving forward.
“Cindy provided me with information about development, growth spurts, what to expect, how to engage/play with my baby at different stages, tummy time. She taught me so much about newborn development, I feel like I can’t do it justice here. She also taught me about colic theories and practical ways to soothe my baby. She really helped me know what to expect from week to week, re: growth spurts, physical and cognitive development as well as sleep development. I felt like I had my very own baby expert and it was invaluable!”
“My wife and I welcomed Cindy into our lives before the birth of our first child. We were, whether we wanted to admit it or not, way in over our heads. We had no family that lived locally and neither of us had experience with newborn babies. Someone recommended Cindy to us and after interviewing her we were comfortable and ready to work with her.
From day one she was helping with breastfeeding, sleeping patterns, bathing, naps, etc. She guided our family into a good routine, and taught us to know and anticipate our baby’s needs rather than living hour to hour in panic-mode. She allowed us to get rest at night so that we could function during the day.
Cindy was never judgmental on how we wanted to do anything. She would make suggestions and give advice and help in any way we needed. She was integral in helping initiate and continue breastfeeding, but equally important there was no judgement passed when my wife wanted to stop. She made a weaning plan for her to follow and instructed on the transition to formula. We contacted Cindy probably before we told our parents we were pregnant the second time. We knew we had to get on her calendar to help with round two.
Full disclosure, I am an OBGYN physician. I needed help finding a balance of being a good dad/husband and getting enough sleep to be able to perform at my job well. By having Cindy assist us, I was able to do both without sacrificing the quality of either. What I liked on a personal level with Cindy is that she let us dictate our goals for raising our newborn. She was there to help us, advise us when needed, and support us in any way possible. Now that we are done having children, we maintain our friendship with Cindy and enjoy her company on a social level. Without hesitation, I strongly recommend Cindy.”
“I knew from the moment that I met Cindy that she was meant to be in our lives. She was more than just our doula, she was a member of our family… long before the twins arrived. She eased my mind, held my hand, and helped me every step of the way. She is kind and caring, never pushy, and her knowledge never ceased to impress me. Being a new mom is hard; being a new mom of twins was nothing I ever expected. She eased my worries, helped me breastfeed, made sure I was eating and sleeping and taking care of myself; so that I in turn could be the best mom to the twins! Her guidance and knowledge were paramount, and we were nothing short of the luckiest family to have her with us.”
“I wholeheartedly recommend the Whole Bundle Service! We are from Germany and moved to Raleigh one year ago. Knowing that we were expecting our first baby and had no family around who could help us we knew that without any help we would not be able to manage that situation. The first time we called Cindy to talk about the postpartum work we had a really good feeling. Cindy showed such great flexibility that she was able to meet us immediately after leaving the hospital. The first time we met her, we hit it off! We knew she was the right one. Cindy is such a warmhearted, thoughtful and professional doula. We would recommend her any time. She was a great listener to my fears and concerns and she helped me so much during the first days of being a mom. She showed me how to bathe, to breastfeed, and how to take care of my baby. She gave me really good information about the first month developmental stages. We worked out a sleeping schedule. She helped me and my husband to become more self-confident about how to best take care of our baby. We cannot thank her enough for that amazing doula work.”
“I couldn't speak more highly of working with Cindy during the first few months after the delivery of our first child. The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is so true and Cindy was my village. She helped me prepare emotionally and physically for my upcoming delivery and was ESSENTIAL in getting off to a good start with breastfeeding. I was able to exclusively breastfeed for nearly 1 year and attribute this success to Cindy's knowledge, kindness, and availability at all hours of the day to help troubleshoot my breastfeeding woes in those early weeks. My husband and I joked that she "spoke baby" because she read our daughter's cues so well and taught us how to identify and respond, accordingly. Hoping that Cindy will be available to help us if/when our next child comes along!"
Cindy was an angel sent to help us with our newborn baby. She brought a world of knowledge and experience to help us take care of her. Cindy's demeanor and calmness is exactly what we needed during this special, yet stressful time. I learned wonderful techniques to help soothe and calm our fussy baby. I also learned breastfeeding tips and methods, which led to 12 months of successful breastfeeding. I highly recommend Cindy for anyone looking for a caring, compassionate, and loving caregiver. The level of professionalism and knowledge Cindy brought into our home cannot be matched by anyone else. She is absolutely the best baby nurse we had over the course of our 10 weeks of postpartum care.”
“Cindy is AMAZING! My husband and I have 2 boys (ages 6 and 3), so when we discovered we were pregnant with twins, we knew we needed help at night. Cindy came recommended by a friend, so we interviewed her and quickly discovered how valuable she would be once our twins arrived. Cindy's unique ability to blend right into the family, along with her level of expertise of newborns and multiples gave us a sense of comfort and relief. She offered understanding, support, encouragement, and advice when needed. Cindy is very professional, yet talking with her feels a lot like catching up with an old friend. She made surviving those first several weeks with our twin boys possible and more enjoyable as we were able to get much needed sleep. My husband and I are so grateful for her services and would recommend her over and over again.”
“I wholeheartedly recommend Cindy MacKinnon. I had soldiered through the newborn period with my first set of twins with the battle scars and extreme sleep deprivation. When I found out I was having a 2nd set of twins, I knew I had to do something different this time. Cindy was absolutely the answer! As I expected, I got some sleep this time around, and that enabled me to function and take care of my 2-year-old twins as well as the babies during the day. But here is what I didn't count on: that Cindy would be a friend through all the troubles and worries & hormones. That she would often text me to check on me on the days she wasn't there. That I would feel like I had a knowledgeable advisor to answer all my questions and someone to talk me off the ledge when I over-worried. That she would even offer helpful advice and tips before the babies were born. These are the benefits I never dreamed of. Cindy comes in and patiently listens, answers your questions, and ensures that you get the sleep you need, and is right there in the trenches with you whenever you're worried. Cindy is a gem!”
“My husband and I are so thankful to have met Cindy! She stayed overnight with our son (second baby) for 3 nights between 5-9 weeks. Her visits were invaluable; she quickly suggested our son may have reflux and the milk protein allergy and she was correct with both! Her helpful tips aided us in those first tough months with a new baby. I appreciated that she took notes during her visits and followed up with detailed suggestions and insight. Cindy is very warm and I immediately felt at ease with her. I wish we had known about post-partum doulas six years ago when we had our daughter! Cindy's support and guidance with several issues helped make our son (and us!) so much more comfortable. I highly recommend her!”