Moonlight Maternity

01/06/2026

A new project for the New Year 🥰

Introducing The Holding Space 🤍

A small, supportive group for moms and moms-to-be who want a place to land — before birth and after.
Created by two women who’ve lived it, personally and professionally, The Holding Space is an intentional, trauma-informed support group rooted in connection, nervous system support, and the freedom to speak honestly about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum — without judgment, fixing, or minimizing.

✨ Two offerings launching at the end of January:

• Prenatal Holding Space
For those wanting to prepare for birth with less fear, more trust in their bodies, and a deeper sense of grounding and connection.

• Postpartum Holding Space
For those navigating birth processing, postpartum adjustment, and healing — including those holding birth trauma, complicated feelings, or experiences that feel hard to name.

Each group is intentionally kept small (8–10 participants) to nurture a sense of safety and connection.
🤍 Groups will be co-facilitated by:
Chelsea McShane- a Full Spectrum Doula, Childbirth Educator, and Newborn Care Specialist, and Miriam Edelstein- a Board Certified Music Therapist with a Master's Degree, who specializes in trauma processing.

Together, we’ll offer a mix of conversation, gentle trauma-release practices, music-based support, and embodied grounding — always meeting you exactly where you are.

This is not therapy.
This is not toxic positivity.
This is space to be held — together.

✨ Registration details linked below
✨ Groups begin late January
✨ Limited spots available

If this speaks to you, save this post or share it with someone who might need it 🤍

Sign up link! ⬇️
https://form.jotform.com/260036881738160

12/03/2025

Hi friends! For those of you who don't know, I'm one of two co-founders of The Moms Social Society, a local to the Jersey Shore organization focused on creating meaningful connections that encourage, empower, inspire, and support moms in all stages of your motherhood journey! These first two photos are a digital version of our business card, and I really wanted to make sure that even something as simple as that could make moms feel special and seen! Every part of what we do is community and connection minded 🩷

🌟 If you're interested in follwing along, head over to ➡️ and if you're interested in joining our private Facebook group, join "The Moms Social Society of Ocean County" on Facebook! If you're not in Ocean County, keep your eyes on the IG for some expansion coming soon 👀 We've created an amazing and supportive community of over 4,000 women currently, and we're adding to it every day! I would love for you to be a part of it! 🫶🏻

Alsooo... 🥰

✨️ Next week, we have our Holiday Soiree Sip & Shop event, the area's largest holiday event!

‼️We have booked the entirety of The Mainland in Manahawkin, and will be turning it into a magical holiday shopping experience, perfect for the whole family, or just a night out with friends!

🛍 70+ vendors
🎅 Photos with Santa, complete with a small gift for each child
💚 The Grinch to interact with your kids
🎨🎈 Face painting and balloons
🎄 A giving tree in support of local non-profit The Ocean Partnership for Children
🎁 On-site gift wrapping
💆‍♀️ Chair massages
🍹 Cash bar open for the entire event
💝 Holiday take home craft for the first 50 kids

🌟 I hope you can join us, I'd love to see some familiar faces there! And I hope more than anything that you join our community and find the connection and support you deserve! 🩷

10/10/2025

Doulas: more than birth hippies, less than baby catchers 😉 So what do doulas really do? Let's talk about it! 👇🏻

👀 There are SO many myths about doulas, loads of comedic satire content about us, and lots of confusion surrounding what we actually do. Are we hippie birth nerds? Probably! But, we're also experts in our field who have studied long and hard (and continue to!), we rely on and lead with evidence-based information, and we want what YOU want for YOUR birth! 🫶🏻

Recently, I attended an amazing networking event focused around women who are business owners, and had the opportunity to have some really great conversations. What surprised me about those conversations though? Most of the women I spoke with had some misconceptions about what doulas actually do. While I wish these misconceptions didn't exist, it allowed me to have meaningful conversations and bring truth to light. I saw every one of these women have an "aha" moment, and nothing could make me happier than to see women understand what we do and realize a doula IS for them! We support you through the messy, the magical, and everything in between ✨️ A doula is for EVERYONE 🤍

➡️ Swipe through the slides to go on a mythbusting journey with me! 🙌🏻

🌙 Know someone who's expecting? Tag them so they can see the truth about doulas! Who knows, maybe you'll be the reason someone chooses the support they deserve!
💫 Share to your story to help spread some truth! The more we share, the more we normalize doula support, and every woman deserves to know this exists for her 🫶🏻

08/12/2025

✨Exciting news! The Nest Lactation and Moonlight Maternity are teaming up to bring you Childbirth Education classes!✨
Conveniently located in gorgeous downtown Hammonton, join us in the comfort of The Nest for our newest class offering.

Meet your teacher, Chelsea McShane—a Full Spectrum Doula, Lamaze International trained Childbirth Educator, Newborn Care Specialist, mom of two, and owner of Moonlight Maternity!
She believes that evidence-based information and education 📚 are power, and that everyone deserves to be able to make fully informed decisions when it comes to the health and safety of themselves & their baby.
Our comprehensive, evidence-based, and empowering class is designed to leave you and your partner feeling confident, at ease, and prepared for your childbirth experience and journey into parenthood! 🤗

📅 September 19th & 20th
🕕 6pm–8:30pm
📍 The Nest Lactation in Hammonton, NJ
💵 $300 per couple

What You’ll Learn:
✅ Prenatal movement & nutrition
✅ What to expect during labor & birth
✅ The stages of childbirth & phases of labor
✅ Understanding your body in labor
✅ Pros & Cons of common interventions
✅ Your rights & how to advocate for them
✅ Hands-on activities for labor prep, pain relief, positioning, & partner involvement
✅ Breathwork & mindset prep
✅ Newborn care & safety
✅ Basics of lactation & infant feeding
✅ Postpartum planning
and more!

👉 Register at thenestlactation.com
‼️ Spots are limited to 6 couples, so be sure to secure your spot before we’re sold out ‼️
💕 Share with an expecting mama 🤰
💬 Comment with your due date and if you'd like to see more classes! 🍼
🔄 Share this post to your story 📲
❤️ Like this if you're excited for your birth journey!
🪬 Curious? Follow for more! 🥰

07/21/2025

✨ Availability Update ✨

Moonlight Maternity has some fresh openings on the calendar, and I’m so excited to welcome new families into my care!

Whether you’re looking for…
🌕 Private childbirth education
🌱 Fertility support
🤰 Birth doula services
🌸 Postpartum doula care
🌿 Placenta encapsulation, tinctures & keepsakes
…I’ve got space for you.

As a Full Spectrum Doula, my heart is in walking with you through the wild, sacred, transformational seasons of your reproductive journey — whatever that looks like for you. As a Childbirth Educator, the opportunity to share my wealth of knowledge and guide you to feeling confident is a joy and honor.

If you’ve been thinking about reaching out, this is your sign. 💫
Let’s connect and see how I can support you!

📩 DM me or email [email protected] to chat about your needs.

🔮 Feel like this message might be meant for someone you know?
Let the universe do its thing — tag them or share it to your story and let the energy ripple! Every share is so appreciated 🌙💕

06/13/2025

Last week, this beautiful mama and I met up for breakfast to celebrate the end of our time together as doula and client. While celebrating an ending might sound strange, the significance of the 12 weeks I had the honor of spending with her definitely deserves celebration! After a day shift with them 2 weeks ago, I had a gut feeling when I left that it was quite possibly the last one... Sure enough, when I texted Devon about the following week, she replied "I cant believe I'm saying this right now, but I think we're ready to graduate!". My heart broke and soared at the same time 🥹 In the beginning of our time together, I met parents who had many fears, had faced the struggle of a pregnancy and newborn with medical issues, and were seeking guidance for everything in front of them. At the end of these 12 weeks, I am looking at a thriving family, a mother so sure of herself, excited about her future, healing from her struggles, fully confident in her motherhood journey, and empowered beyond belief! 😍

➡️ Swipe through to read their story, see a "then and now" photo of baby Luca, and check out the most amazing gift they got me! 🤍

📍Make sure you follow all the incredible providers I shouted out in the story slides, and share with an expecting or postpartum mama, we'd love to support you! 🫶🏻




And me 🥰

You'll see a picture of part of the card Devon wrote me, which made me cry BIG tears 🥹 But I want to quote this part in particular...
✨️"Cheers to strong women in strong covens!"✨️ May we know them, may we be them! ♀️👭💪🏻🔮🧙‍♀️

⭐️ P.S. I hope we are forever friends too, I can't imagine it any other way! ❤️

03/16/2025

Sitting here reflecting on how content and grateful I'm feeling, because today marks a very special anniversary for me ✨️

One year ago today, I took the leap into full-time self-employment—an uncertain but deeply intentional decision. It wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment choice; it was the result of three years of relentless hard work...late nights, early mornings, and countless moments of doubt. Last year today was my last day employed at the full time job I had been with for 12 years, and during my final 3 years there, I worked around the clock to build Moonlight Maternity to a point that I could feel comfortable with finally quitting. There were times I wasn’t sure if it would all pay off, especially on the nights filled with exhaustion and tears while I tried to juggle everything. During those 3 years, I was also pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding...every sleepless night challenged me in my ability to keep pushing towards my dreams, but through every challenge, one thing always remained unwavering: my belief in myself, my abilities, and the vision I had for a better future. And now, one full year later, I can say with my whole heart—it was worth it 😍 I’ve not only built the business I once dreamed of, but I’ve thrived in ways I never imagined. I’ve grown as a person, as a doula and educator, as a mother, expanded my vision, and created something truly meaningful. And the best part? I’m just getting started 💪🏻

It feels deeply significant that this milestone falls on the 15th—the exact anniversary of my full leap into self-employment—and under the energy of the Blood Moon 🌕 a symbol of completion, transformation, and stepping into a new chapter. This journey has been exactly that—a transition into something greater, something I always knew was possible if I just kept believing in myself & the dream.

As I continue into year FIVE! of Moonlight Maternity, and celebrate this milestone, I want to make sure my gratitude is known- To everyone who has supported me, trusted me, and been part of this journey—THANK YOU! Your encouragement and belief in me mean more than I can ever express. The best is yet to come! ✨️

02/09/2025

📢 Calling All Ocean County Parents! 📢

Are you expecting a baby and looking for a comprehensive, evidence-based childbirth education class that truly prepares you for labor, birth, and beyond?

⚠️👀 Let's face it...the hospital birth class is boring and not going to actually teach you much. It will focus heavily on hospital policy, generic information, and the way a "routine" hospital birth plays out 😮‍💨 You deserve so much more than that‼️ Instead, my curriculum focuses on evidence based information at the core, while covering every aspect of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, lactation, newborn care, and beyond! Feeling fully informed and empowered for your birth and parenting experience is what you deserve and what I strive to achieve! You'll walk away feeling confident for it all! ✨️

Join Moonlight Maternity for a two-night class on:
📅 Thursday & Friday, February 20th & 21st
⏰ 6:00 – 8:30 PM
📍 Nurture and Nourish Maternal Wellness, Lacey, NJ

Taught by Chelsea McShane, a Lamaze International trained Childbirth Educator, and Full Spectrum Doula ⭐️

✨ What you'll learn:
✔️ The physiology of labor & birth
✔️ Comfort techniques, pain management techniques, positioning, and breathwork
✔️ Partner support involvement & strategies
✔️ Informed decision-making & advocacy
✔️ What to expect through every stage of birth, postpartum & newborn care
✨️ And so much more!

‼️➡️ Swipe to see slides straight from my custom curriculum about every topic we'll cover during class! 🤍

Spaces are limited—reserve your spot today!

📩 DM me to sign up, or email for the registration link! We can't wait to see you there! 🫶🏻

01/10/2025

It's 7 a.m. and I'm about to go to sleep after working my first overnight with my newest postpartum family, but just thinking about how lucky I am and wanted to share about my day!

This morning, I started the day with a postpartum follow-up visit with a birth client. This gem of a human asked to take a photo of me holding her sweet baby girl, and I couldn't have been happier! I don't ever ask to hold clients babies, I never want to make someone feel obligated to say yes or take baby from mama, but I absolutely love when it's offered and am so grateful. Mom and baby are both doing well, and watching the bond between them was gorgeous 😍 And just LOOK at how beautiful they both are!! Capturing moments of the pure joy and love on a mother's face when looking at her baby is my absolute favorite thing 🤍

A few pictures in between of me and my baby girl! She's just so stinkin cute, and as a mom, I love those moments where we can get the candid genuine laughter and silly faces with our kids in pictures. I feel like it's a good reminder to myself and to all of you other mama's, just take the damn picture! 😅 I feel like we all do that thing where we go, "oh ugh, I don't look good right now though", but it doesn't matter, our kids don't care and neither should we! I don't have makeup on in those pictures, I look exhausted, and nothing special was going on, we were just in the diner eating. But my daughter was having so much fun being silly, grabbed my phone and said "mama, pictures?!"... how could I say no to that face?! Capturing those little perfect moments in time are memories that are priceless ❤️

And to finish out my day/night, I started a new postpartum overnight contract! This little prince is 1 week old and just the sweetest thing 🥹 I'm so looking forward to spending the next 6 weeks with him, his parents, and his big brother!

All that to say, I'm feeling so grateful that this is my life! I get to spend most days with my kids, and my work is something that I truly enjoy every aspect of! It might be cliché, but the phrase "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life" feels absolutely true for me. My heart is full 💞

01/08/2025

01/06/2025

11/07/2024

This post discusses amniotic fluid volume at the end of pregnancy and whether too much or too little is really a problem.