We’ve all heard the saying. We all have an idea of what it means. Many of us have a picture in our minds of what we want it to look like.

“The kitchen is the heart of the home.”

Many pictures lots of cupboards, shining appliances, a bowl filled with colourful fruit, the smell of delicious food wafting out of the oven…and family, gathered around. Perhaps there is mail on the counter (like a Toronto Family Doula welcome package!). But everything is clean and sparkling and smells good. It is a happy place to be and to gather.

Then you have a baby.

Suddenly, it’s Tuesday and the pizza box from Friday is still on the counter. Your mail is piled sky high. The sink is full of dishes, and let’s not talk about whether your appliances are sparkling.

This isn’t what you pictured.

You certainly don’t have time to put homemade cookies in the oven. You are lucky if you have a chance to cook dinner instead of just ordering take out. Wait…have you eaten today? Like, a real meal? Or just an apple and a handful of goldfish crackers?

Then, you hear a knock on the door.  It’s your postpartum doula. She says hello, settles you in on the couch to feed the baby, and asks,

“Have you had a coffee yet today?”

When you say no, she heads to the kitchen to get the coffee maker started. She picks up the empty coffee cup from yesterday off the table on her way. Not too long later, you smell something warm and sweet coming from the kitchen.

You hear the running of water and the clink of dishes. She is calling out to you once in a while, checking to see if you need anything. Once she brings you your coffee, made just the way you like it (she remembered!). Another time she wanders out with a snack. Then, you settle your sleeping baby into the bassinet and you wander into the kitchen, just as she puts the last clean dish away and whisks away with the recycling.

Your kitchen is sparking. Your dishes are done. The sink is empty. And cooling on the top of the stove is a batch of muffins. You sink into a chair, knowing that you don’t have to stress anymore.

Your kitchen is what is has always been, the heart of your home.