You Deserve a Joyful Postpartum Journey
Experience a nurtured, holistic, energetically aligned postpartum recovery of finding joy, and gently welcoming your baby without depletion, isolation or losing yourself.
(IN PERSON services for Boulder, SW Weld, and SE Larimer counties, Colorado, and nearby areas)
Julie Behnken: Let’s make your postpartum supported and full of joy!
Testimonial
“You have been such an important part of our lives this year! All 3 of us have benefitted from your calming energy, your subtle but wonderful sense of humor, and your gentle way with Raphael. We have really enjoyed getting to know you and when we look back on this time of our lives, we’ll always remember (and tell R about) our wonderful postpartum doula, Julie.”
Carolyn K., Boulder, CO
Does this sound familiar?
You seek a better way to spend the fourth trimester than the “normal” and all-too-common experience of depletion and barely surviving…
Or, maybe the baby's already here and you’re sore, exhausted, unsure of yourself, and your family support needs a break as well, or is unavailable or not aligned with how you want to parent
Or, you didn’t get the postpartum support you needed the first time around, and you’re taking steps to make damn sure THIS time is going to be different
And if you already have another child or two, you worry about how you’ll meet their needs with a newborn
You worry about meeting your baby’s feeding needs and all the demands of newborn life.
You’re afraid you’ll end up depressed and depleted
You’re anxious about raising a child in today’s too-much-too-soon, over-stimulating culture, and want to just SLOW down for your child
You’re curious about how to incorporate Waldorf-inspired elements into your parenting, home, and family life
Testimonial
“I couldn’t have survived those early weeks at home without Julie’s guidance, support, and helping hands.”
Kristen G., Boulder, CO
Imagine how it would feel to REALLY….
SLOW down, honor and heal your postpartum body, and bask in the wonder and joy of your baby
Be “mothered” as a mother: so you’re nourished, rested, respected, and NURTURED, too
PROTECT the senses of your little one with conscious care
Notice and embrace little moments of JOY with each other
Envision and EMBODY a new version of yourself as a parent, without losing the parts of yourself that make you You
Gain CONFIDENCE in your ability to parent the way you desire: mindful of daily rhythms, warmth, movement, and connecting with your little one(s).
Know that baby’s siblings are SUPPORTED through this family transition
Bring AWARENESS to your unique energetic blueprint and begin to work with it
Introducing… Joyful Postpartum!
An in-person, holistic, postpartum pathway for grounded recovery from giving birth, a gentle beginning for baby, and a joyful, solid start to your version of parenthood.
What makes Joyful Postpartum different from other postpartum support?
HOLISTIC approach to in-person postpartum support, including postpartum nutrition and reiki for parent and baby, infused with Waldorf/LifeWays/RIE (respectful parenting) elements
Email, text, and phone SUPPORT
Introduction to your unique Human Design ENERGETIC BLUEPRINT
Access to curated RESOURCE information
Support that keeps your parenting VISION in mind and lays the foundation for that
Benefit from my EXPERIENCE as a parent (and what I wish I’d known when my son was born), and 13 years as a Waldorf/LifeWays childcare provider
What results will you experience?
A vision and plan for your postpartum time so you feel more PREPARED for the new little Being you’re about to meet (or have just met)
RELAX into a nurtured postpartum so that you can fully recover, rest, and heal your body
LESS PRESSURE on yourself, your partner, and your family members to keep up with household needs so you can take time for yourself, each other, and/or your other child(ren), which leads to a more JOY
A SAFE and cared for baby so you can nap or shower
SIBLING adjustment support
Increased CONSCIOUSNESS on your care routines and connection to your baby
Step into yourself as a parent and the way you want to start this parenting journey with more CONFIDENCE
ALIGNED answers to your questions
GUIDANCE and parenting tools for conscious, inspired family life
AWARENESS of your unique Human Design to facilitate more EASE and JOY as you evolve into parenthood
““I keep hearing it takes a village to raise a child. Do they just show up or is there a number to call?”
:) From a card in a sweet boutique in Georgetown, CO
So what do you get?
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I can’t wait to hear about your ideal postpartum and make a plan together — as much as one can plan for life with a newborn! (:30 Google Meet). Click on page buttons to schedule!
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Visits are generally 3-4 hours long, to schedule at your preferred frequency. For example, three 4-hour visits for 2 weeks, then two 4-hour visits for the next 6 weeks. Visits can include:
Mama/birthing person care
Baby care
Infant feeding support (I am not a lactation consultant, so I will refer to a CLC or IBCLC for anything beyond the basics)
Sibling care/adjustment
Light housekeeping (laundry, dishes, tidying, organizing, nursery setup, surface wipe downs, etc.)
Meal preparation (your recipes or mine)
Postpartum nutritional guidance
Reiki (life force energy healing that can help with recovery, integration, relaxation, and more)
Listening and holding space for your questions, reflections, and birth experience processing
Errands (with you or for you, during the visit window, or beforehand with extra fee)
Referrals for overnight support, other bodywork, or other resources as needed
Additional hours can be added, pending availability, at the package rate: $42/hour
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I strive to respond to messages within 24 hours on weekdays; 48 hours on weekends, but if I’m able to respond sooner, I will!
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With your date, place, and exact time of birth, we’ll go over your HD Type, Strategy, Authority, and Profile, which helps you align with how your energy works in the world and your best decision-making methods. Knowing your child’s HD also will bring more ease to parenting.
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Minimize middle of the night Googling with one place that includes:
Recommended resources, links, videos, articles, books, etc.
Practical information on postpartum healing, nutrition, infant feeding, and local resources
Parenting and baby care through the lens of Waldorf/LifeWays, RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers), including sleep, parenting tips, baby items, care routines
Info on Astrology, Human Design, lunations (moons), and season changes
Where to learn more and dive deeper into any of it, if you choose
Which option is right for you?
Joyful Postpartum
✔ 72 hours of holistic postpartum care (at $42/hour = $3024 value)
✔ Email, text, phone support (per my availability)
✔ Virtual, foundational Human Design reading for you and your child ($197 value)
✔ Curated resource portal (at least $450 value)
(Additional postpartum hours can be added for $42/hour)
(Reiki can be included in any visit, but separate :45 reiki sessions can be added for $60; Human Design readings for additional family members can be added for $50)
Total: $3671 Limited time PRICE: $3107
(payment options available)
Postpartum Basic Support
✔ A la carte holistic postpartum care ($44/hour, with 3-hour minimum)
✔ Email, text, phone support (per my availability)
PRICE $47/hour
Get funds for your postpartum support with a registry at Be Her Village!
Hey, I’m Julie Behnken – Holistic postpartum doula, early parenting coach, and Human Design enthusiast
I’ve been a parent for over 20 years, and after 13 of those years as a LifeWays (Waldorf-inspired) infant/toddler teacher, it is an honor to support and empower birthing people, their babies, and families at this tender stage of the parenting journey.
In Human Design I’m a 2/4 Manifesting Generator with Sacral authority. That, and my Incarnation Cross orients me to “beginnings,” intuition, working with transformations, partnering with others and engaging with my community, and responding to my environment. The astrological sign of Cancer is considered the cosmic mother archetype, and as a Cancer Sun and Rising, nurturing those who are becoming parents (or parents again) is my calling. My Taurus moon lends a sense of comfort, can find the beauty in things, and keeps things practical.
I’ve experienced and witnessed the lack of SUPPORT for new parents in American society, and the UNREALISTIC expectations and pressure on parents of young children today, particularly mothers.
It’s time to CHANGE the paradigm around postpartum and parenting!
When I gave birth, I was grateful to have found a midwife and birth doula, but I had no idea about postpartum doulas, and my son’s dad and I didn’t know what we didn’t know!
That first week home with newborn baby Benjamin, I don’t think I showered at all. It didn’t feel possible. After a rough night of what felt like constant nursing, getting out of bed to do so — ouch — and virtually no sleep, I felt like my life was literally SAVED by a lactation consultant we visited the next day!
I remember thinking, “Wow, Maybe ONE day I’ll work with babies and new mamas…” And there’s so much that I wish I would’ve known then that I get to share now!
I’m grateful we had some support from our mothers for the second and third weeks after the birth, but I didn’t know what I needed, what to ask for, or how to really rest, not “host” people in my home, and let them take care of me. There was so much I didn’t know that I didn’t know!
While I know the high-quality child care I provided for many years was of great value for parents, especially as I stayed open throughout the pandemic in 2020-21, it became clear to me that ALL parents need more support. My resolve to do more became even stronger after hearing stories of those who gave birth then, when most postpartum support disappeared.
Each person’s birthing and parenting journey is unique to them, and everyone deserves birth and postpartum support, in “normal” times and otherwise. It’s all too common for the postpartum experience to be an overwhelming, challenging, and isolating time, leading to depletion, health issues, and mood disorders. Just because something is COMMON doesn’t mean it’s NORMAL.
I was researching options for working with new parents and babies, outside of doing childcare all day, when I first learned what a postpartum doula was. It was like the clouds parted and a light shone down, and (cue angelic sounds) wait, what?! I want to do THAT! My “one day” had come!
Years before, I had a similar experience when I visited a beautiful, Waldorf early childhood classroom during a tour looking for the right school when my son was 7, which helped steer me towards Waldorf and LifeWays. The community we’d been a part of previously didn’t see anything wrong with a young child playing video games all the time since age 4– it was “normal.” Normal doesn’t mean healthy, and when it got out of hand I didn’t know what to do about it. Part of choosing a Waldorf school for him was the school’s consciousness and encouragement to protect children from media and technology, which was something I really wish I’d known when he was born.
Becoming a parent is a profoundly transformational, SACRED time (whether for the first time or again). In the Waldorf philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, each child is a soul (a star child) who has chosen to incarnate on the earth with their chosen parents for this life journey. You are on a physical and spiritual journey with each other.
When you have the opportunity to heal, rest, eat nourishing food, be nurtured, and spend time bonding with your new baby in the early weeks and months after birth, you care for YOUR long-term health, AND you will be better able to care for your little one, ease into parenthood, and provide a warm, gentle welcome to their human experience, so THEY can thrive, too.
Your baby will know they are loved, their needs will be met, and that the world is full of beauty, goodness and truth. Because YOU — the mothering one — was nurtured, cared for, and “mothered” when baby was born.
Is Joyful Postpartum right for you? It is, if you:
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Want gentle in-home postpartum support for at least 6 weeks that will help you nourish, rest, recover, and bond with your baby as you ease into parenthood.
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You lean toward natural, holistic approaches first, and know the healing power of foods and of taking care of your well-being.
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Crave support for consciously bringing Waldorf-inspired, respectful parenting elements to your family life.
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Get overwhelmed sifting through Google searches and conflicting advice, and want a trusted resource for postpartum and parenting information.
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Want to tap into and use your innate energies and cosmic support
If you’ve made it this far….
You won’t want to miss the chance for a more joyful, embodied, and connected postpartum experience and early parenting journey.
You likely want to slow down the pace of life and technology for your child(ren) to give them the best start, which can be difficult to do alone in our modern world.
You should get on my calendar to discuss your postpartum vision, as I have to limit the number of clients I accept to provide this level of in-person support.
You have questions. I have answers.
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Trainings:
Doula Quest postpartum doula training (2022)
Postpartum Nutrition certification (2021)
Reiki 1, 2, and Reiki for Birth and Postpartum (2021)
RIE Foundations Training (2018)
LifeWays Early childhood certificate (2012)
I’m always learning and in process on these trainings: Reiki for Parents, Center for Pediatric Sleep Management, Postpartum Navigator, Astrology Bootcamp
Education:
Interdisciplinary MA in Women’s studies, Communication Studies and Creative writing, University of North Texas
BFA in Art/Fashion Design and Marketing, University of North Texas
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Things like responding to email and other requests for support will be made within a 24-48 hour window, as I’m available to do so. If I’m in the middle of supporting another client, response may not be right away.
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It’s not hard to use 72 hours of doula support, even if we spread it out, because #babylife. I bet there will be times when you could use a hand with the laundry, dishes, meals, or a nap, even after the first 3 months.
(Packaged in-home hours should be used by the time your baby is 5 months old. Though additional hours can be added in the first year of life.)
However, if you really don’t need the in-home support, the dollar amount of remaining hours can be converted to reiki sessions, additional human design coaching or refunded at 50%.
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RIE stands for Resources for Infant Educarers, started by Magda Gerber, who brought the ideas of Hungarian doctor, Emmi Pikler, to the US. Pikler developed a revolutionary way of interacting with orphaned infants so they would thrive, based on caregiving, respect and freedom of movement.
Pikler’s ideas are important to Waldorf and Montessori educational philosophies (and probably Reggio Emilia, too, though I know less about that). https://www.rie.org
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LifeWays is a Waldorf-inspired model of childcare, particularly from birth to age 6, based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education. I love the beautiful intention and spiritual (not religious) nature of it.
With LifeWays, daily life is the curriculum for the young child – the rhythms and tasks of the home, plenty of outdoor time, imaginative play, freedom of movement, warmth, natural materials, very limited or no media exposure, protection of the child’s senses, and respectful, conscious caregiving. https://www.lifewaysnorthamerica.org
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I love Human Design and I love postpartum, so I want to put them together! ;) Like astrology, Human Design is a useful tool for knowledge of yourself and those around you, so it can help you align your energy as a parent, and work with the energies of your child and family members, as well.
What I know about Human Design (and astrology) is mostly self-taught, and I’d love to explore more with you.
So, is this feeling good to you? I invite you to step into your holistic, supported, joyful postpartum!
Julie Behnken, the owner of StarSong Postpartum and Beyond, believes that we can change the world through parenting our children and is no stranger when it comes to raising healthy, thriving children who embody their true selves. As a certified Early Childhood specialist with a Master's in women's studies, she combines Waldorf-inspired parenting with Human Design to help new parents consciously prepare for parenthood and meet their child’s unique needs. She owned and operated a home child care program for over a decade and has 20 years of her own parenting skills, so she has a deep understanding of caring for little humans to help them grow from a solid foundation. Residing near scenic Boulder, Colorado with her partner, she is taking time to enjoy the simple joys in life like decadent dark chocolate and learning about homesteading.
In Human Design, Julie is a sacral Manifesting Generator, and astrologically, she is a Cancer sun, Cancer rising, Taurus moon. She is married to an emotional Generator and triple Leo, and her young adult son is an emotional Projector with a Taurus sun, who also lives in Colorado.
