Hidden Gems: Meet Amanda Laskowski of Cincy Postpartum

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Laskowski.  

Hi Amanda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My professional roots are within the higher education sector, serving college students in various capacities (residence hall director, orientation coordinator, academic advisor). I grew up in Wisconsin, completed my undergraduate education as a first-generation college student at the University of Minnesota, and, after a brief pause traveling through Europe and working at my alma matter, I completed my master’s degree in Student Affairs & Higher Education at Miami University, which is what initially brought me to Ohio. The University of Minnesota, Miami University, DePaul University, and Northern Kentucky University hold special places in my heart– my life intersected with so many inspiring, intelligent, compassionate students and colleagues at all four universities. 

In 2019, I gave birth to our beautiful firstborn daughter, Marcie. I returned to my full-time work at NKU after a short medical leave, but as my postpartum journey continued, I unexpectedly birthed a new version of myself, too. I observed a real gap in wraparound care and community for new families in our city and for postpartum mothers in particular. I couldn’t shake the itch to do something about it, so leaning on the skillset developed teaching and building community with adult learners and adding in training as a postpartum doula, I founded Cincy Postpartum in May 2022. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely transformational (and scary!) to leave a salaried position, switch industries, and start your own business! It’s a road of duality– anxiety AND pride, risk AND reward, imposter syndrome AND building your confidence. I am grateful for every person I’ve met along the way– I’ve built so many new relationships in the last year and added a lot of new friends/colleagues to my personal and professional village. We have SO many incredible people in our community to support postpartum people– but this support isn’t always immediately visible to families after birth. Cincy Postpartum is working to change that. The financial piece of it all is definitely tricky in the social entrepreneurship sector. Access and inclusion is a huge priority of mine, but so is building a sustainable business that honors my experience and the value of my time away from my family. Someday I hope there is a non-profit sector to our work, but that takes time to build. Lots of mindset work happening! 

We’ve been impressed with Cincy Postpartum, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At the core of Cincy Postpartum is our #CincyPostpartumCircles. These facilitated, cohort-based, support spaces bring moms and babies (and in some cases, other caregivers) together for facilitated discussion and participant story-sharing. Hyperlocal in space (multiple neighborhoods across the city) and time (same-age babies, often born within the same 4–8-week period), the goal of our circles is to eliminate some of the isolation that the postpartum season brings and connect postpartum people to just-in-time information and to each other. We collaborate with local experts (IBCLCs, doulas, physical therapists, psychotherapists, and more) and are working hard to sustainably create reliable, easy-to-find, inclusive support for infant parents in Cincinnati. 

Since launching in May 2022, we’ve hosted over 180 postpartum women and their babies in a Postpartum Circle. Most are participating in a 4th Trimester circle– which is our five-week series for moms + babies under 12 weeks of age. Our 4th Trimester series covers reflection on one’s journey to meeting baby, infant feeding & sleep, physical postpartum recovery, mental health and the concept of “matrescence” (one of my favorite words!), and some tips for transitioning back to work or into a new life in at-home parenthood/full-time caretaking. We also host circles for moms further out (3-12 months postpartum, via our Life in At Home Motherhood and Back to Work circles) and will soon be bringing back a re-imagined circle for 3–6-month-old parents + their babies (facilitated by our team member Karena, who is an occupational therapist). We are also working to roll out a free NICU support circle (for moms with past, present, and/or anticipated NICU journeys), and we invite folks on our 4th Trimester postpartum circle notification list to a monthly pregnancy/expecting mom circle to process their journey, too. 

While our business name centers around “postpartum,” which I know suggests we serve birthing people only, we welcome adoptive moms to our circles. We are working to represent that experience more purposefully in our work. 

If you’re an expecting or newly postpartum parent– please check out our offerings at CincinnatiPostpartum.com! 

What were you like growing up?
Ha, one of my college friends described me as a “wet blanket” to my now spouse the first time they met– and I’ll never forget that. Probably a pretty accurate description of me up until about age 20. I was a rule follower, very mature for my age, and often a leader among my peers (it’s that first/only child syndromes — I have a half-sister who is 11 years younger than me, so I identify with both). 

I’ve since adopted a bit more of a rebellious spirit– a healthy skepticism of authority + hegemony, and a bit more of adventurous spirit. 

While I no longer perform on stage like I did in my high school theater + choir days (I was in an all-women’s acapella group in college, too, the Enchantments), my love for music and the performing arts definitely remains. It can be hard to get out for shows with little kids in this season, but I’m excited to bring them along in the future if they show interest! 

Pricing:

• $120-150 for a 4th Trimester Circle
• $120-$200 for our circles for parents further out
• FREE NICU circle coming soon

Contact Info:

• Website: CincinnatiPostpartum.com
• Instagram: @cincypostpartum
• Facebook: facebook.com/cincypostpartum

Image Credits
Jaci Gaines
Katherine Dooros Photography
Krystal Franke Photography