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FOR THE FIRST-TIME MOMS WHO WANT TO FEEL READY FOR WHAT COMES AFTER THE BIRTH
You've Planned Every Detail of the Birth. Who's Planning for You After?
The Joyful Motherhood Collective is a 3-month guided path through pregnancy and postpartum, led by midwife and lactation consultant Anne Leclercq. Know what's coming before baby arrives, get real answers once you're in it, and never face a 3am question alone.
Three ways to join, from $85/month for 3 months.
It's 3am. The house is quiet except for the baby.
You've been feeding for forty minutes and you still can't tell if it's working. Something hurts. You're not sure if that's normal.
You pick up your phone. Google gives you nine different answers. The mom group gives you twelve more. Your partner is asleep, and anyway, they don't know either.
Your doctor's appointment is weeks away. And a thought you'd never say out loud slips in: Is everyone else just better at this than me?
They're not. They just had someone in their corner.
Because here's what nobody told you while you were picking out car seats and writing your birth plan: the birth is one day. Postpartum is months. And it's the part almost no one prepares you for.
You took the classes. You toured the hospital. You know your options for pain relief.
But do you know what your body needs in the first two weeks? How to tell a good latch from one that will hurt for a month? What's normal crying (yours and the baby's) and what's a sign to call someone?
Most first-time moms don't. Not because they didn't try, but because no one handed them the map.
Here's how care works for most new moms in the U.S.
For nine months, you're seen regularly. Someone measures, listens, checks, and asks how you're feeling.
Then the baby arrives, and within a day or two you're sent home.
From that moment, the baby has a pediatrician. You have one checkup, usually weeks later. In between are the hardest weeks of your new life: healing, feeding, almost no sleep, and a flood of emotions you didn't expect.
That's not a personal failing. It's a gap in the system.
Once baby is here, you are often on your own. In many cultures, new mothers are surrounded for the first 40 days. Someone cooks, someone teaches, someone checks on the mother, not just the baby. Most of us don't have that village anymore.
The Joyful Motherhood Collective was built to give it back.
Introducing The Joyful Motherhood Collective
A guided path from late pregnancy through the first months with your baby, led by a midwife and lactation consultant with more than 20 years of experience.
It isn't a library of videos you'll never finish. It's a sequence, built around the four things every new mother actually goes through:
You'll walk away able to…
Prepare: Before baby arrives
Make a real postpartum plan, know what's normal, and set up feeding before you need it.
Nourish: Feeding your baby, and yourself
Understand latch, supply and feeding rhythms without the overwhelm
Recover: Healing your body and steadying your mind
Know what healing should look like week by week, and when to call someone
Thrive: Settling into life as a family
Navigate sleep, routines and your new identity with confidence
You learn each stage before you live it, so nothing catches you off guard. And when you're in it, you're not alone with your questions.
The goal isn't just to get through it. It's to actually enjoy your baby.
Here's what's waiting for you inside
28 chapters and 190 short lessons that take you through every stage, from preparing in late pregnancy to finding your rhythm months later. Watch on your phone during a nap, a feed, or a quiet evening. Includes journals and evidence-based resources you can come back to anytime. So you're never guessing about what's normal.
From Nesting to Nurturing: the complete course
Hi, I'm Anne.
For more than 20 years I've been a midwife, first in Belgium and France and now in the United States. I've cared for mothers in hospitals, birth centers and private practice.
And across three countries, I've seen the same thing again and again.
A mother leaves with her beautiful new baby, full of love and completely unprepared for what comes next. Not because she didn't care. Because no one showed her.
I'm also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, so I've sat with hundreds of mothers [replace with a real number] in those hard first feeds. I know how quickly "I can't do this" turns into "I've got this" when someone is simply there to guide you.
I created the Joyful Motherhood Collective because I can't be in every living room at 3am. But I can make sure you're never facing it without a plan, a village, and someone who knows.
Anne Leclercq, CPM, LM, IBCLC, MMCP Founder, Birth Gardens
Certified Professional Midwife · Licensed Midwife · International Board Certified Lactation Consultant · Marquette Method Certified Professional · 20+ years in Belgium, France and the U.S.
Who it's for (and who it isn't)
The Collective is for you if…
You're expecting your first baby and want to feel as ready for postpartum as you are for the birth
You've already had your baby and the first weeks feel harder than anyone warned you
You want to breastfeed and want expert help before problems start
You'd rather learn from a midwife than from a search bar at 3am
You don't have family nearby, or you do, but they parent very differently than you want to
It's probably not for you if…
You want a medical provider to replace your OB, midwife or pediatrician. The Collective works alongside your care team, not instead of it
You're looking for a one-time video download with no community or guidance
Buying for someone you love? The Collective makes a meaningful baby-shower or push gift: support she'll use every single day.
Choose your path
Choose the level of support that fits you. Every path includes the full course and the community. The difference is how much of Anne you get.
What moms say
Daniela, TX
“Anne is such a fountain of knowledge! She was the THIRD LC we’ve seen, and she is the last!! She helped us so much with tips for my supply, helping me boost my confidence with breast feeding, pumping, different feeding positions and so much more! 12/10 recommend birth gardens, I’m sad we don’t get to see her anymore for our LC appointments. Thank you Anne and the Birth Gardens team, yall are wonderful."
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I join?
Ideally in your second or third trimester. You'll learn the Prepare stage before baby arrives and settle into the community before you need it. If baby is already here, join now: the Nourish and Recover stages are built for exactly where you are.
What if I can't make the live calls?
You will find the recordings of our calls on our Thinkific Full Community.
Is this medical care?
No. The Collective is education and support from a licensed midwife and IBCLC. It works alongside your OB, midwife and pediatrician. For anything urgent, always contact your provider or emergency services.
Can I join from anywhere?
Yes. Everything is online, and calls are listed in Central Time.
Can my partner use it too?
Many lessons and journal activities are designed so partners can watch and work alongside you.
You'll only do this for the first time once.
Picture it a few weeks from now.
It's 3am again. The baby is feeding, and this time you know what a good latch feels like. You know what healing is supposed to look like. You know the difference between a normal hard night and a reason to call someone.
And if a question does come up, you know exactly where to bring it, and who will answer.
You're tired. Of course you are. But you're not lost, and you're not alone.
You're just a new mom, enjoying her baby.
That's what a plan does. You made one for the birth. Now make one for you.
PS: The best time to join is before baby arrives, while you still have quiet evenings to learn and settle in. If baby is already here, the second-best time is today. Either way, you don't have to figure this out alone.
Don't wait for the hard moments. Have your plan, your village and your midwife ready before they come.
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