CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lauren Hall, a mother of two, had a smooth transition into motherhood with her first child. But her second one gave her a run for her money and her mental health.

“He had colic, and he cried 24/7,” she said. 

What You Need To Know

  • North Carolina’s first postpartum retreat opened in Charlotte

  • Co-founders Selena Williams and Lauren Hall wanted to bring resources for moms all under one roof

  • Ziva Postpartum Retreat provides services such as 24-hour nursery care and therapy sessions for new moms

Without family support, she felt isolated and overwhelmed.

“I missed a lot of meals. I missed a lot of rest. I was just like a walking zombie,” she said. “I was like what would life look like if it was someone different or if there was someone there to help me.”

She was one of millions of women who experience postpartum depression. According to the National Institutes of Health, 1 in 7 moms experience the mood disorder after giving birth.

She later joined forces with Selena Williams, who also had an isolating postpartum experience.

“I wanted to bring the resources I didn’t have to the moms of Charlotte,” Williams said.

The two women opened Ziva Postpartum Retreat in February — the first of its kind in the state.

“It’s also meant to bridge the gap, because it brings all of the resources that you need for postpartum under one roof,” Williams said.

Like many hospitals, Ziva provides an on-site 24-hour nursery, lactation specialists and meals — but also offers therapy, yoga classes, guided meditation and even manicures and pedicures for mom.

Their services are pricey, with nightly stays as high as $1,300. But Williams says they’re working on providing drop-in services for moms who may not be able to afford an overnight stay.

“Let’s say you’re not able to do all five days or all three days of the retreat. We’re going to have certain classes, certain mothers hours, certain therapy sessions where we’re going to open it up to the community,” she said.

Many health care providers across the state offer drop-in services as well — and many are covered by insurance.

Novant Health has lactation centers in the Charlotte and Greensboro regions that also offer groups for new moms. Wake-Med in Raleigh also has mom and nursing support groups.

And if insurance is an issue or you just need additional support — Block Love CLT also has a free monthly mom circle.

Laura Corsig is the regional manager of lactation services at Novant Health. Its services range from one-on-one breast feeding coaching to support groups for moms offered once a week. Both private and public insurance are accepted and some services are free.

“We see families from all over the community,” Corsig said. “Whether they gave birth at Novant Health or not, we are happy and welcome everyone to our services.”

And if you want to get creative to access the full resources provided by Ziva, Williams says you have options.

“We do accept Klarna. And a lot of moms are doing something that I think is very innovative — they are putting the retreat on the registry,” she said. “So they’re allowing their friends and family to contribute to their stay. And that can either end up discounting their stay or they could end up having their stay for free.”

According to Ziva’s website, moms can book their stay by the time they’re 25 weeks pregnant, and they can check in at the retreat up to 12 weeks after delivery.