Meet Diana Heinig, Postpartum Doula, Newborn Care & Sleep Consultant

Please introduce yourself — who you are, your background, what service you provide?

Hi, my name is Diana Heinig, and I have been a postpartum doula for the past 12 years. I am now using that experience to also support families as a Holistic Pediatric Sleep Consultant and Newborn Care Educator & Consultant. My goal is to help parents of little ones navigate all the challenges of parenthood and empower them with the tools, skills, and knowledge they need to thrive as a family.

How did you get started? What led you to this industry? Was it always the plan?

I wouldn't say this was always my plan — I grew into the work. I spent many years in the hospitality industry before having my son and deciding to homeschool him, which connected me to Austin's homeschool community. Being part of that community was a growth opportunity in so many ways: I felt the empowerment of surrounding myself with independent thinkers who valued connection, learning, and enjoying life with their families over conformity. It was transformative for me to be part of such a dynamic, family-focused culture. When my son graduated, I found myself looking for work that felt just as meaningful. Around that time, another mom asked for help with her postpartum doula business — something I'd never heard of but found intriguing. Once I started, the work drew me in completely. There are so many directions you can take as a birth support professional that you can carve out your own niche and do meaningful work at the same time.

What do you love most about the work? What keeps you motivated and inspired day to day?

There is nothing like being invited into the intimate space with new parents and helping them bring their new baby home and settle into life. Meeting and caring for babies is a wonderful perk of the work, but you also get a lot of satisfaction assisting parents through that transition and smoothing their way. I always say you might be with people experiencing both the best times and the worst times of their lives because being a new parent can be both beautifully transcendent and terrifying at the same time. It's not easy work! But when I get feedback from new parents with the specifics of how I helped them become confident in their new roles, I know I made a real difference for someone, and that is extremely rewarding.

What's something people don't see or know about your industry?

Doulas give so much of themselves working in these emotionally fraught situations. It takes a lot of training and experience to be confident in all the situations you find yourself in. And the hours can be brutal since we are often working overnight. It takes a personal toll both physically and mentally. Working with people in their homes while they are experiencing trauma and emotional difficulties can be very hard.

What resources, tools, or support do you wish existed?

This is an ever-evolving field, and staying current on evidence-based care is a constant focus. What's hard for parents is navigating the avalanche of conflicting information out there — outdated practices get repeated instead of reevaluated, and the internet makes it easy to fall down a rabbit hole of misinformation without ever landing on a clear answer. At the same time, there's genuinely exciting new research on infant brain development that reinforces how much babies need real connection from birth. I wish that research were easier for parents to find and act on — it would take so much of the guesswork out of those early months.

What do you want potential clients to know about you or your work?

I have supported over 150 families in the 12 years I have been doing this work, and it has given me a deep knowledge of babies at very specific stages of development in their first six months. I use that to help parents understand what their babies need at each stage and help them prepare for what comes next. Our babies are constantly changing, and that can be difficult for parents to keep up with. I offer newborn care consulting to help parents problem-solve and get the education they need for any situation in the first six months. Most importantly, I want parents to know that sleep consulting does not mean sleep training! I teach parents how to use this developmental knowledge to fully support their babies and toddlers and meet all of their needs with responsive care, so their little ones can sleep better at every stage. I also like to help parents understand that attachment care is focused on the needs of the whole family in balance — which means caring for themselves, too.

Your contact info and links are on your Maisaic profile, is there anything else you'd like to share with the readers?

I'm available for speaking engagements in the community and love to meet with groups! I currently host a free Sleep & Development discussion group on the 2nd Saturday of each month, and I lead a Baby + Me yoga class on Monday mornings with lots of time for discussion & socializing with other moms. Follow me on social media to find out more! If you mention you found me through Maisaic, I'll give you a 10% discount on one of my consulting packages. Thanks so much for reading about me and the services I offer!