From Birth to Blessing: Nurturing the First 1,000 Days

The days and months after birth are beautiful, life-changing, and often more overwhelming than many families expect. While much attention is given to preparing for labor, the postpartum season — often called the fourth trimester — deserves just as much thoughtful preparation. From Birth to Blessing: Nurturing the First 1,000 Days is a comprehensive postpartum education course designed to help families navigate recovery, newborn care, and early parenthood with confidence and peace. This course explores both the immediate postpartum period and the important early years of a child’s life. Rooted in evidence-based education and a faith-centered perspective, this course recognizes that healing and parenting are not only physical experiences, but emotional and spiritual ones as well. Families are encouraged to approach this season with preparation, grace, and trust in God’s design for both mother and child. Topics include God’s design for postpartum healing, emotional and spiritual recovery after birth, bonding and secure attachment, and practical guidance for feeding and caring for your baby. Families will also learn about healthy sleep rhythms, baby’s growth and development from birth through the early toddler years, and ways to support safety and basic health at home. The course also addresses the realities of family life after birth, including maintaining rest for the whole household, navigating the transition back to work, and building sustainable rhythms that support both parents and children. Taught by Ashley Strengholt, Certified Doula and Childbirth Educator, this course draws from professional training in postpartum care, breastfeeding counseling, newborn and infant care, and trauma-informed family support. Ashley’s heart is to help families enter the postpartum season feeling prepared, supported, and encouraged as they nurture their baby and embrace this sacred stage of family life.