Come have your baby in paradise, and we’ll take care of everything else. This is the way that birthing and the initiation of becoming parents was meant to be: Supported. Empowered. Free from stress or expectation. Trusting in birth.
Birth & Postpartum Residency
Looking for a magical place to give birth?
Birth and postpartum deserve the space to be held, trusted, and protected. We have a trusted and experienced team of birth workers that serve Lake Atitlan. We organize everything so that you can relax and step into parenthood confident, regulated, and empowered.
We’ve thought of everything, so you can relax into this monumental time.
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Beautiful Home
We offer our largest accommodation for this special retreat. We have a brand new 2 bedroom house that is perfect for first-time parents or well-established family units. Ample space provides families with the room to spread out comfortably and feel right at home. An open kitchen fully-stocked with cookware allows you to prepare food at your convenience. The inviting living room includes a fire place and TV, and outdoor spaces include a beautiful downstairs porch and spacious balcony connected to the upstairs suite. We take hospitality seriously at Casa Curativa, down to snuggly sheets and high-quality bedding.
This is our longest retreat offering, with a 3 month minimum commitment.
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Birth Team
We have some incredible midwives available to serve you, as well as a whole host of doulas in the area. We are confident in the skills and experience of our midwives and doulas. They trust in the physiological process of birth, and know how to handle emergency situations should they arise. We will also introduce you to the hospital team when you arrive, so that you will know exactly what to expect if transfer is necessary.
There are an abundance of photographers and videographers in the area that we can connect you with to make sure your sacred experience is captured and documented in the way you want.
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Nourishing Food
There is no shortage of talented chefs in our area, and we are honored to be able to organize food delivery for new families. We ensure that the food provided is exactly what expectant mothers need in order to feel nourished, and for postpartum mothers to recover in comfort.
You have the option to have food delivered, and we keep an open tab, or we are able to take your shopping list and bring you the ingredients you need to cook for yourself. A mix of both is perfectly acceptable as well; we cater to you, our valued birth client, so that you feel as if you have nothing to worry about.
Meet the Team
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Mariu Eugenia Gobatto
MIDWIFE
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Julia Bentley
ONSITE DOULA
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Ashley McDonell
DOULA
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Karena Thompson
BIRTH & POSTPARTUM DOULA
The Birth
Preparing for the birth of your child deserves respect and reverence, and is not a process for the faint-of-heart. Often, the modern medical model can fall short at fulfilling the simple demands of a natural physiological birth.
At Casa Curativa, we truly believe in the capable nature of birthing bodies, and we do everything in our power to ensure your home birth is accomplished with ease and confidence.
Our philosophy is simple: We give you, the birthing person, the space and quietude you need to enter through this portal with grace and autonomy. We set you up with everything you need to feel safe and nurtured so you may focus on the task at hand. We make all the plans, and provide support so that you and your family have the space needed to give this monumental moment the respect it deserves.
We take time with each client, mapping out your dream birth scenario down to the last detail, so that there are no surprises and everything goes as planned. We take the time to answer all your questions, and make sure you are fully prepared and informed about the experience before you even book your dates. It is our honor and pleasure to accommodate your desires, ideals, and values so that your birth experience turns out to be the dream you always imagined it would be.
Home birth is the goal, but we also know that sometimes it’s just not possible. Not to worry—we will make sure you are fully informed of your options and prepared for transfer to a hospital long before your first contraction. Humility and discretion are essential in this line of work, and your safety is our top priority. Should the need to transfer arise, our trusted hospital team is responsive and reliable. Of course, the Casa Curativa birth team will be by your side the whole time, and you will still be able to enjoy postpartum care back at the compound.
Understandably, the birth of your baby typically takes center stage, but often times expectant parents forget to prepare and honor the time that comes afterwards. We absolutely love this aspect of our retreat offering. This essential period of integration deserves space and time to recover, for both parents and baby. We honor your new family with a protective nest so that you may welcome your new baby into the world. It is vital for the postpartum mother to rest and recover from the physical and emotional toll that comes after birth.
This is a sacred time that you will never get back, and we are here to take care of you so you can give your very best to your new baby.
Modern mothers are too often pushed to prematurely “bounce back” after delivery, left alone to face the physical and emotional challenges of this radically new chapter of their lives. In contrast, this retreat stands as a lifeline; a source of connection, nourishment, and guidance.
Honoring Postpartum
Postpartum Care
6 weeks of personalized postpartum care, with at least 3 visits within the first week
Comprehensive breastfeeding support
Newborn care recommendations
Traditional postpartum ritual support
Rest & Breastfeeding Support
We make sure you have time and space to relax, journal, and rest. This is your time to bond and connect with your baby. Free of distractions and obligations, you may concentrate on establishing a rhythm with breastfeeding.
Herbal Support
We come daily to make sure you get some sort of herbal treatment. We focus on fresh herbal sitz baths and yoni steams to speed up the recovery of vaginal birth. Teas, salves, and other therapies are also provided as needed.
Plant Baths
We provide plant baths for the whole family. Whether you’d like to frequent the garden tubs for some solo time, or enjoy the baths with your little one, we will prepare everything and leave you to soak and enjoy.
Treatments
Here on Lake Atitlan there are a wide variety of healers and people offering treatments. We are here to connect you with whoever you need to make sure this time is spent in full permission to pamper yourself. From acupuncture, to chiropractic service, massage, and of course all of our herbal treatments offered onsite—we’ve got you covered.
Massage
Massage is paramount for bodily recover postpartum. The local indigenous Mayan midwives offer abdominal massage and temazcal sessions. Traditional massage is also offered by many talented therapists here on the lake. They will bring their magic hands and massage table to your door, so you don’t have to go anywhere.
Childcare
Sometimes you just need a few hours to rest and sleep, or catch up on remote work without distraction. You don’t ever need to feel guilty for taking space for yourself. Baby will be happy and safe in the care of one of our nannies, bundled up as they are taken for a stroll in the gardens, always close by.
Sauna & Cold Plunge
Saunas provide the postpartum body with much-needed support. We light the fire for you, and make sure you have herbal tea for steaming on the hot rocks. Here in Guatemala they bring in the babies at the beginning of the sweat and leave the door cracked, providing a plant bath and womb-like experience. Babies love it!
Birth Team Follow-Ups
Your midwife will be making regular check-ups with you in the days and weeks following your big day. They provide breastfeeding support, vaginal care, and checking your vitals to make sure everything is on track. This is an essential time to unpack the birth experience as a whole, and integrate your birthing journey.
Partner Support
Partners often are forgotten when it comes to postpartum care, but it doesn’t have to be that way. All of the aforementioned treatments and therapies are applicable to partners as well. The birthing experience is life-changing for the partner too, and self-care is vital in order to show up fully for mother and baby.
Now booking June-October of 2024 & 2025
If your due date falls within these months, we can definitely host you here onsite. We aren’t available to host births here year round due to high season, and all the other retreats that we host here November-May.
However, all of these services can be adapted and translated to other homes in the area, and we have a list of vacation rentals that we work with to ensure that you still have options for home birth here on Lake Atitlan.
You should expect to arrive here by 35 weeks and stay at least 6 weeks postpartum. 4 months minimum.
Are you curious to learn more?
This offering is brand new, and as such we have to make sure our client’s history is compatible with the realities on the ground here in Guatemala. This birth retreat/residency won’t be suitable for all people, so we always schedule an initial consult call to make sure this is a good fit for all of us. Let’s hop on a call and establish some history together to see if we move forward.
