Category: Articles

By Sheila Olson Fitsheila.com

Brooklyn-based remote working parents, especially pregnant people, new moms, and families adjusting to life with a newborn or toddler, often feel pulled in two directions all day. The core tension is simple and brutal: paid work expects focus and speed, while baby and toddler care demands constant attention, and early childhood development doesn’t pause for meetings. Home office distractions pile up fast, and the result is new parent stress that can look like missed deadlines, guilt, and a sense that nothing is getting done well. With the right expectations and a few grounded shifts, balancing work and childcare can feel steadier.

Quick Summary: Remote Work With Baby Care

● Set clear workspace boundaries and reduce distractions to protect focused work time.

● Build a flexible daily schedule around naps and feeding to match real baby rhythms.

● Line up childcare support options early to cover meetings and high-focus tasks.

● Encourage independent play activities in safe spaces to create short, reliable work blocks.

● Prioritize parental mental health basics to stay steady, confident, and effective day to day.

Set Up a Home System: Workspace + Schedule + Fast Paperwork

A simple home system can do a lot of heavy lifting: it protects your focus, keeps your baby safe and entertained, and prevents “tiny interruptions” from turning into lost hours.

1. Claim a “minimum-viable” work zone: Pick one spot you can use most days, even a corner of the kitchen table, and make it work-ready in 2 minutes. Keep a small bin there with your essentials (charger, headphones, water bottle, snack, burp cloth, pen) and clear everything else at the end of each block. The goal is a visual boundary that helps your brain switch into work mode fast.

2. Use a one-page “interruptions plan” with your household: Write three rules on a sticky note or index card: when you’re available, what counts as urgent, and what to do first if the baby needs something. Example: “If I’m on a call: try the diaper-check + bottle + stroller loop before knocking.” This reinforces the “workspace boundaries + support options” survival move without needing constant conversations.

3. Time-block around feeds and naps (but keep it flexible): Build your day from anchors you can predict: first feed, mid-morning nap, afternoon nap, bedtime routine. Start with

two work blocks of 25–45 minutes and one longer block of 60–90 minutes, then adjust weekly based on what’s realistic. The point is to prevent work from creeping into every hour, many parents report they work longer hours than they want when the day has no clear edges.

4. Create “kid-ready stations” to reduce micro-interruptions: Set up two small stations near your work zone: a diaper/feeding station and an independent-play station. The play station can be a basket you rotate daily with 3–5 items (soft book, teether, nesting cups, crinkle toy) so it stays interesting without being overwhelming. If space is tight, create zones with a blanket for floor play and a separate spot for quiet time to cue predictable routines.

5. Script transitions with specific praise (even for tiny wins): When your child plays for 2 minutes while you send an email, name what worked: “I love how you held your toy while I finished typing.” This kind of specific praise makes independent play more likely to repeat, and it keeps you in a calmer, more encouraging tone when you’re tired.

6. Build a fast paperwork workflow for daycare/benefits surprises: Keep one digital folder called “Baby Admin” with subfolders for IDs, insurance cards, pay stubs, and childcare forms. When something needs to be submitted quickly, scan from your phone, combine pages, and export as a single PDF using a secure online converter like this site, then name it consistently (“2026-03 daycare form”). Save 10 minutes by drafting a reusable email template with your child’s full name, DOB, your address, and your employer’s info.

When your workspace, schedule, and admin are less fragile, your nervous system gets more chances to settle, especially on days when the plan changes but you still need to feel steady.

Habits That Keep Remote Days Calm and Steady

Try these small rituals to build steadiness.

When you are pregnant and planning for remote work with baby care, consistency matters more than perfection. These repeatable habits help Brooklyn parents protect mental bandwidth, lower stress, and stay connected to supportive prenatal and childbirth resources over time.

Two-Minute Morning Map

● What it is: Write today’s top three tasks and one “good enough” home win.

● How often: Daily

● Why it helps: It reduces decision fatigue and sets realistic expectations early.

Gratitude Micro-Note ● What it is: Do Tiny Habits for Gratitude by jotting one specific appreciation after a feed.

● How often: Daily

● Why it helps: It can shift your mood fast when the day feels relentless.

Meeting Buffer Breath

● What it is: Take five slow breaths before you unmute or answer a message.

● How often: Before meetings or calls

● Why it helps: It lowers reactivity and supports clearer communication.

Midday Body Check

● What it is: Set a timer for a 3-minute stretch, water, and snack reset.

● How often: Daily

● Why it helps: It reduces tension and prevents the afternoon crash.

Ten-Minute Evening Shutdown

● What it is: Close tabs, list tomorrow’s first step, and queue one support contact or class.

● How often: Weeknights

● Why it helps: It protects sleep and keeps care planning from slipping.

Pick one habit to start this week, then adjust it to fit your family.

Common Remote-Work and Baby-Care Questions

Small routines raise big questions. Here are practical answers.

Q: How can I set up a distraction-free workspace at home while caring for toddlers and babies? A: Choose a “safe-zone” play area within sight of your desk, then position your chair so your camera faces a plain wall. Use a visual boundary like a folded screen or tape line to signal “work space,” and keep one basket of quiet toys only for calls. If you can, schedule your most meeting-heavy blocks for nap windows and do deep work in shorter sprints.

Q: What are effective ways to create a daily schedule that balances remote work with childcare duties? A: Build your day around anchors: meals, naps, outdoor time, and two short work focus blocks. Share a simple plan with your partner or support person like “9 to 11 meetings, 11 to 12 kid time,” so handoffs feel clear. Aim for a “minimum viable day” list so you still win when plans change.

Q: How can I reduce stress by keeping my home organized and decluttered during busy work-from-home days? A: Pick two reset points, morning and evening, and do a 7-minute sweep for dishes, laundry, and bottles. Use labeled bins for diapers, feeding supplies, and work gear so you can reset one-handed. When you feel behind, choose one surface to clear, not the whole room.

Q: What strategies help me maintain my mental health when juggling remote work and caring for little children?

A: Replace guilt with a script: “I’m parenting and working, so good enough counts today.” Protect one non-negotiable support touchpoint each week, such as a prenatal group, therapy, or a check-in with a trusted friend. If you notice persistent sadness, panic, or insomnia, reach out to your provider promptly.

Q: If I’m feeling stuck and want to improve my job prospects to better support my family while managing childcare, what options can I explore to gain new skills online? A: Start with one skill that helps your current role, like spreadsheets, project coordination, or a certification tied to your industry. Many parents choose short, flexible programs since online programs are common and can fit around naps and childcare shifts. If you’re exploring computer science studies, set a tiny weekly goal, such as two 20-minute lessons, and build from there.

You do not need perfect days, just repeatable choices that protect you and your baby.

Build Calm Workdays by Stacking Small Remote-Parenting Wins

Remote work with a baby can feel like two full-time jobs competing for the same minutes, patience, and quiet. The steadier path is the mindset of flexible expectations, clear communication, and leaning on support networks, so managing remote work stress doesn’t become a private struggle. When those pieces are in place, work-life balance motivation gets easier, guilt softens, and parental resilience grows through repeatable routines instead of perfect days. Small wins, repeated, are what make remote work and baby care sustainable. Tomorrow morning, choose one small win, one boundary, one handoff, or one ask for help, and let it be “enough.” That’s positive parenting encouragement in action, and it builds a calmer home and a stronger foundation for the months ahead.

• NEW LOCATION: 16 E 40th St, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016 for prenatal care ONLY. Your birth will still take place at the Brooklyn Birthing Center.
• Brooklyn Birthing Center at 6702  3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220 for prenatal care and your birth.
• For new families—
  • Join one of our weekly orientations to have all your questions answered, held virtually
  • List of In-Network Insurance
  • Pregnancy must be essentially low risk to plan your birth at the BBC
  • For quick entry to care, please have your complete prenatal records available for review. Once records are obtained, a pregnancy risk review is completed within 48-72 hours
  • An initial prenatal visit is scheduled within days for  approved BBC candidates
  • Late transfers are welcome, and considered on an individual basis
  • Website Link: https://brooklynbirthingcenter.com/
  • Contact: (718) 336-4119, or email info@brooklynbirthingcenter.com.

A post by Sheila Olson

You’ve got big energy needs when you’re pregnant—from carrying new life to adjusting to hormonal waves—and simple moments of reset can change everything. In the bustle of prenatal appointments and nesting logic, your body craves pockets of calm. Think of breathing exercises as a subtle tune-up: just a few conscious inhales and exhales can shift nerves, blood flow, stress hormones. When you add in relaxation routines and mindful boosts, your energy system starts to work smarter. You don’t need grand gestures—tiny pauses can unpack tension and restore presence.

Breathing Basics

Start from deep belly breathing to calm nerves while seated or lying down. Rooting your breath into the diaphragm helps increase oxygen to both you and your baby, reduces tension hormones, and invites a slower rhythm into your system. Expect to feel your belly rise more than your chest. That simple practice has ripple effects—lower heart rate, steadier nerves, clearer headspace. A few rounds of this each day can become an anchor when the day feels crowded. Think of it as grounding energy before you leap into more complex moves.

Cultivate an Arsenal of Stress Management Strategies

When you’re managing daily overwhelm, learning how to relieve stress becomes a game‑changer. You might discover how structured routines or external support can soothe tension and help regulate energy. These frameworks often combine practical pacing, prioritization, and targeted relaxation to ease the load. By anchoring emotional safety into your day—through support systems and clear strategies—you reinforce the breathing and mind‑body work you’re doing. That external structure makes your internal reset more sustainable. Ultimately, combining both gives you more consistent capacity to feel present and centered.

Rhythmic Balance Breaths

Try syncing rhythmical breaths for energy: inhale for a count of four, pause for two, exhale for six. That slower exhale invites your parasympathetic nervous system to switch on—balancing energy rather than depleting it. Many find this pattern keeps them alert without tension, a soft reset in mid‑afternoon fatigue dips. It also gently nudges pelvic floor engagement and core stability when done with intent. A few slow cycles can feel like digestion for your nervous system—easy yet powerful. Tuck this into transitions, like after breakfast or before starting chores.

Gentle Relaxation Techniques

A progressive muscle relaxation session can melt stored tension. Start at your toes and work upward—clench a group of muscles, hold, then release with your breath. That marshals both body and breath to sync with calm. As each group loosens, your brain registers safety and lets stress signals fade. Regular practice—even just once a day—can ease aches, lull anxiety, and support better sleep later. You’ll carry forward a soft edge of ease that helps you stay grounded through unpredictable days.

Visualization Benefits

There’s power in visualizing outcomes to ease anxiety: picture soft light at the end of a tunnel or warm sun on a quiet beach. Modern cognitive‑behavioral therapies show that sensory-rich imagining can reshape emotional response and shift mindset toward composure. Daydream about exerting calm, focused energy—you’re not escaping; you’re retraining neural patterns toward peace. This mental rehearsal supports resilience in emotional storms, giving your nervous system invitations to stay steady. Even short imagining sessions can feel like a mini‑vacation for your mind and nervous structure.

Energy‑Boost Breath Patterns

Interject quick energized inhalations for vitality when you need an alertness lift—not caffeine, just focused breath. Try three sharp inhales through the nose, each followed by an easy exhale. That resets your alertness without overstimulating strain. Follow it immediately by deep belly breaths or a light stretch to integrate the wakeful surge. This ritual can sharpen focus before a to‑do or clear the fog after a nap. It’s short, punchy, and perfect for moments when you feel dulled rather than drained.

Mindfulness for Daily Recharge

Integrating daily mindfulness to reduce fatigue means weaving presence into routine: pay close attention to sensations during simple tasks—like the pressure of your feet during a pause or the warmth of tea on your lips. This posture of noticing slows down runaway thinking and recharges awareness in pauses you already take. A quick body scan of tension zones and breath can serve as micro-recovery breaks. With repetition, these moments gather to add clarity and resilience throughout the day. This helps divert stress loops before they escalate into overwhelm.

Encourage Movement Pauses

Little movement breaks are underrated energy reinforcements. Stand, stretch your shoulders, roll your knees, or walk slowly for one minute. That stimulates circulation, resets posture, and complements breathwork by feeding fresh oxygen into your system. Pair movement with deep inhalations and smooth exhalations, and you create a ritual of reset. These pauses sharpen alertness without spikes of tension. Scattering five‑minute resets through your day can build steady energy layers rather than sharp peaks and valleys.

By weaving in deep belly breathing, patterned rhythm breaths, progressive muscle relaxation, visualization exercises, and short energized inhalations, you craft real opportunities to restore calm and clarity during pregnancy. Pairing these techniques with daily mindfulness moments and mini movement breaks supports a rhythm of energy that’s sustainable, not forced. You learn to move within the day with softness, awareness, and intention. Resistance melts when these techniques become natural plugs in your routine. Before long, your system starts defaulting to reset rather than threading tension. You get to feel more present, more peaceful, and more energized.

Discover personalized and compassionate care at the Brooklyn Birthing Center, the only freestanding birth center licensed in metro New York, and join our upcoming orientations to learn more!

We are proud to report that Brooklyn Birthing Center is heavily featured in today’s The New York Times article, “Why New York Lags So Far Behind on Natural Childbirth.” This article explores the unique barriers faced by New York City families seeking a low-intervention birth experience.

According to Doctor Laura Zeidenstein, director of the graduate midwifery program at Columbia School of Nursing, “Midwifery is very hands-on and time-intensive. Midwives utilize technology judiciously. The cost is human time and that just can’t be billed for.” Medical interventions such as anesthesia, on the other hand, are well-compensated by insurance payers. Many birthing centers have folded due to economic pressures or bureaucratic red tape.

Despite these challenges, New York City parents-to-be continue to demand access to skilled midwifery care. As today’s New York Times article points out, Brooklyn Birthing Center addresses this demand as the only accredited freestanding birthing facility in metropolitan New York.

We are pleased to announce that we are now in-network with Aetna! We look forward to welcoming more Aetna members into our practice.

We understand that many prospective clients have questions about insurance coverage. We accept most major insurance plans, including Medicaid managed care plans. Although some plans will claim that we are “out of network,” we are often able to obtain gap exceptions. We also offer discounts and payment plans for self-pay clients.

We strive to minimize out-of-pocket costs and eliminate surprise bills. Toward this goal, we work with a professional billing service in order to verify benefits, estimate out-of-pocket costs, and negotiate gap exceptions. For more information, please check out the insurance section of our website or attend an orientation.

Next, around 12pm, I got in the shower and the contractions were coming so fast and strong I couldn’t talk at all! Markus announced they were about 2 minutes apart but I didn’t really hear him, I was too busy throwing up and breathing. I knew this was a sign that the baby was coming soon, but I wasn’t really thinking at this point just trying to keep breathing through each wave. We called Lily; it was definitely time to go. The birthing center was almost an hour away but I managed to get comfortable by kneeling on the floor and shoving my face and shoulders between two big pillows and pushing my back and butt against the back of the front seat. It felt good to push against something and riding with the bumps in the road helped distract me from the contractions that felt like they were on top of each other. 

We got to the birth center around 1:30pm and I made it to ring the bell at the stoop just before I had to drop down to the ground for another contraction. Lily the midwife arrived at that moment, and we went inside. It was cool and empty, and as soon as I went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet I felt a big wonderful push sensation! It felt intense but was a relief after the contractions. Lily checked me out and I was 10 cm dilated- the baby was coming! Our doula Bonnie and the assistant Kathryn arrived and Markus parked the car and came back just in time to head back to the room with us. Looking back, I am so thankful that we didn’t have to go through triage, or deal with being hooked up to an IV or a monitor at this point. Instead, everyone followed my lead as I pushed kneeling by the bed, then I was offered a birthing ball. Lily began to fill the tub as I had asked, and the sound of running water was so nice. Markus and Bonnie alternated holding my hand with each push and putting a cold wash cloth on my neck which all felt amazing. The room was quiet except for the water running, my moans with each contraction, and the encouraging words of Bonnie, Markus, Lily, and Kathryn.

The pushing itself felt strong but wonderful, to be honest, and I was almost disappointed when each wave subsided. I heard Lily say she could see the baby’s head, and we all moved to a birth stool- I couldn’t imagine making it into the tub and I was feeling good where we were. Bonnie held a mirror under me so I could watch our progress, which I didn’t think I would want but it was awesome to have. The baby’s head was coming, two steps forward with each push and one step back with each rest, and Lily reassured me I was stretching nicely. When she announced the baby’s head would come with the next push I didn’t believe her. But out it came, along with one hand pressed against his face!! Lily calmly slipped the cord over his neck and I fell back against Markus to rest. I heard Lilly say our baby would be born with the next push. I still didn’t believe her​, but sure enough his body slid right out at around 2:40pm.

In a quick fluid motion Lily lifted our baby to my chest and I said “It’s a boy!” We didn’t know the gender until that moment. Lily and Linda and Kathryn massaged my uterus and gave me a quick shot of Pitocin to help stop some extra blood flow and helped me rub our son down to get him breathing nicely. They moved me, Markus, and our baby to the bed as a unit and I sang to our baby while they helped deliver the placenta and stitched a small tear. They covered the lamp with some fabric so the light was nice and dim, and left us to cuddle and eat delivery sushi. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude, relief, and joy. Remembering Max’s birth I couldn’t and still cannot believe how lucky we are.

Our first minutes and hours with our son ​were spent ​in ​a magic bubble of calm, quiet, and safety. Words cannot express how grateful we are for the exceptional care we received and continue to be receiving from the Brooklyn Birthing Center​.

This spring, we devoted a lot of time to surveying our postpartum clients and reviewing their feedback. We were honored to receive some absolutely heartwarming testimonials— which we will be sharing on our blog over the next several weeks! BBC families: if you would like to post a testimonial or share your birth story, please contact rachelanne@brooklynbirthingcenter.com.

“I felt taken care of, especially since this is my first child. I didn’t feel alone and during the birth. When I wanted to quit and go to the hospital the midwives encouraged me to keep going. I’m happy I did.” -Natasha

“The staff was incredible. I never felt that I could not have the birth I wanted or that I was incapable. The midwives made me feel very empowered … Yuen, Nicole, and Charlotte were absolutely incredible during my labor and especially post labor. They were sympathetic to my being a first time mom and never made me fell like my pain was exaggerated but at the same time I felt strengthened by them and comforted.” -Brand New Mom

“Everyone was so kind and showed great care for me and my baby. More than I could expect. Thank you very much for a great experience! And special BIG thanks for Linda!” -Happy Mama

A huge thank you to the clients who shared their feedback. These stories sum up everything we love about the midwifery model of care! Stay tuned for more testimonials and birth stories!

A lovely BBC mama agreed to share her birth story in honor of her son’s first birthday! Happy birthday, Ellis! 

As this was my second child, I kind of already knew what I was in for, and hopefully that also included a faster delivery this time around. My first baby, Maddie, took a whopping 23 hours to arrive, including 3 hours of active, exhausting pushing.

I was excited and calm once the contractions started. Being so far along, at some point you just want the birth to happen already. I spent the early contractions in the tub, trying to relax as much as possible. Then when they started getting serious, my husband called our birthing doula Nicole— always a calming force— to check in and update her on my process.

My contractions eventually started picking up the pace late in the evening and Nicole said it was time. So my husband called my mother-in-law to come stay with our toddler Maddie, already long asleep in her room, none-the-wiser to what was about to happen and how her world was about to be flipped upside down by the cutest bundle on its way.

From Nicole’s calculations, I was pretty far into active labor and needed to get to the Birthing Center ASAP. The plan was: she would take me in the Uber she had waiting outside and my husband would wait for his mother to arrive before meeting us there. Dressed in nothing but pajama pants and a pale blue cotton robe, I made my way to the waiting Uber with Nicole steadying me to the curb, stopping and breathing with me through each contraction, now coming down faster and more intense.

There wasn’t much traffic on the way, but there were POTHOLES, EVERYWHERE. And the driver seemed to unintentionally hit ALL of them on the way. Between the contractions and the potholes I was pretty certain this baby was going to fall out of me in the car. Nicole was in the backseat with me, her eyes reassuring me that NO, we would NOT birth this baby in the back of this car, not on her watch, as her voice said calmly, “that’s right, find your breathhhhh…”

About 17 excruciatingly long minutes later, we arrived at the Birthing Center and after an initial intake exam by the midwife on duty, we settled into the birthing room. They got the tub ready for me, after knowing I liked working through the contractions in the water the last time around. Finally my husband arrived and greeted me. I was in the tub facing down another set of contractions. Someone asked me if I wanted to BIRTH in the tub as well. I couldn’t focus on anyone’s words at that point as I another contraction washed over me.

At one point one of the midwives said, “if she’s going to give birth in there, there are some things we need to do first…” At that point between the pain of the contractions and feeling of something BIG about to happen I screamed out to no one in particular, “I DON’T CARE WHERE I BIRTH!!” Looking back on it now, that was definitely one of those Hollywood, screaming birthing lady moments. At that point I’m pretty sure my water broke. I felt a HUGE pressure, then a burst. Then a bit of relief. No one noticed because I was still in the tub.

After they helped me out of the water and onto the bed, they were all concerned that my water hadn’t broke yet. I told them about the pressure and burst and then everyone realized it had happened in the tub. Then within 10 mins (which for me felt more like like an hour), I had a few more contractions and then the urge to push and then, he was here. My son, Ellis Lightman, born 4am, April 6, 2015.

On October 28th, we hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate the opening of our breast milk donation depot for Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast (MMBNE)! We were joined by local obstetricians, midwives, doulas, La Leche League leaders, lactation consultants, a NICU nurse at Maimonides Medical Center (our transfer hospital and a recipient of donor milk from Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast), and Borough President Eric Adams!

For more information about our partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, please see our  June press release. For photos from our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, please see below!

Dr. Guirguis, Dr. Veridiano, Borough President Eric Adams, NYC MMBNE Outreach Coordinator Amber Star-Merkens, and Director of Midwifery Linda Gaglioti in one of our birthing suites.

Amber Star-Merkens of Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, speaking about the need for donor milk for preterm and medically fragile infants.

Dara Barnett, RN, IBCLC, on the role of donor milk in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Maimonides Medical Center.

Borough President Eric Adams, a generous milk donor, and members of the BBC and MMBNE team cutting our ribbon.