Bridging Postpartum Care, Infant Development & Gentle, Science-Based Sleep Support
Meet Annika Glaub, Certified Postpartum Doula, Lactation Educator, Maternity & Child Sleep Consultant, Pre- and Perinatal Psychology Educator, Pre- and Postnatal Coach, founder of Itsy Bitsy Dreamers, and graduate of the International Parenting & Health Institute.
Born and raised in Germany, Annika has called California home since 2007 and relocated to San Diego in 2023, where she now supports growing families throughout the greater San Diego area.
Her professional journey spans approximately 15 years and reflects something we value deeply at IPHI: sleep rarely exists in isolation.
For a new family, sleep can intersect with feeding, postpartum recovery, infant development, emotional wellbeing, physical adjustment, family dynamics and the enormous transition that occurs when a baby enters the home.
Annika’s professional education reflects that larger picture.
She became a Certified Postpartum Doula in 2011, a Certified Lactation Educator in 2012, completed her Maternity & Child Sleep Consultant certification with IPHI in 2013, became a Certified Pre- and Perinatal Psychology Educator in 2016, and added Certified Pre- and Postnatal Coach training in 2020.
Today, she brings those disciplines together through Itsy Bitsy Dreamers.
Beginning With Postpartum Support
Annika’s professional foundation began with postpartum care.
In 2011, she became a Certified Postpartum Doula through Doula Trainings International. One year later, she expanded her education into lactation, becoming a Certified Lactation Educator through Evergreen Perinatal Education.
Those two areas alone require a professional to understand something fundamental about new parenthood:
The baby isn’t the only person undergoing a transition.
The entire family is.
Parents may be recovering physically from birth while simultaneously navigating feeding, pumping, bottle feeding, newborn care, disrupted sleep and the emotional adjustment to caring for another human being around the clock.
Annika’s work developed within that real-world environment.
And sleep naturally became part of the picture.
Expanding Into Maternal & Child Sleep
In 2013, Annika completed her Maternity & Child Sleep Consultant (now referred to as Holistic Pregnancy & Child Sleep Consultant) certification through the International Parenting & Health Institute. Her current professional website continues to identify IPHI by name and displays the certification among her primary professional qualifications.
That sleep education became another component of Annika’s broader postpartum work.
Today, Itsy Bitsy Dreamers includes gentle sleep coaching alongside feeding support, newborn care and science-based parent education.
This is what makes Annika’s professional path especially interesting.
She didn’t build a practice in which sleep exists as a completely separate service disconnected from everything happening around the baby.
Instead, sleep became part of a broader understanding of the postpartum family system.
Understanding the Baby Beyond Sleep
Annika continued expanding her education after becoming a sleep consultant.
In 2016, she became a Certified Pre- and Perinatal Psychology Educator through the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health. In 2020, she completed certification as a Pre- and Postnatal Coach through Girls Gone Strong.
Together, these areas of professional education allow her to consider more than one dimension of the postpartum experience.
Her public professional description includes support and non-medical education surrounding:
Breast, chest and bottle feeding
Pumping
Newborn care
Recovery from birth
Sleep
Physical and mental development of the baby.
The result is a professional identity that extends considerably beyond “getting the baby to sleep.”
The Gentle, Science-Based Postpartum Doula
Today, Annika describes herself as “The Gentle, Science-Based Postpartum Doula.”
Those words capture two important aspects of her philosophy.
Gentle reflects the way she approaches babies and families.
Science-based reflects her commitment to continuing education and research.
On her About page, Annika describes herself as a lifelong learner who continually pursues workshops, certifications and current research.
And rather than telling parents that there is only one correct way to care for their baby, Annika emphasizes helping parents navigate the enormous volume of advice coming from relatives, friends, books, social media and the internet.
Her goal is to provide nonjudgmental support and science-based knowledge so parents can make informed decisions for their own unique family.
That’s an important distinction.
Parent education shouldn’t remove parents’ confidence.
Ideally, it helps strengthen it.
Meeting Babies Where They Are
One of the most revealing descriptions of Annika’s approach actually comes from a family she supported.
A client describes Annika as emotionally connected to their baby and says she believes in meeting babies where they are rather than pushing them, while still helping establish routines around feeding and sleep.
That philosophy fits naturally with her broader professional background.
Babies aren’t sleep schedules.
They are developing human beings.
Their sleep exists alongside feeding, growth, development, temperament, physical comfort, relationships and environment.
Annika’s multidisciplinary education gives her multiple perspectives through which to observe those needs.
Supporting Families Through the Night
Annika’s work is also highly hands-on.
Through Itsy Bitsy Dreamers, she offers both daytime and overnight postpartum support. During overnight care, Annika remains awake so parents can rest while their baby is cared for and monitored. Her services can include newborn care, soothing, feeding support, pumping support and developmentally appropriate sleep guidance.
That’s very different from providing sleep recommendations from a distance.
Annika sees firsthand what happens throughout the night.
She sees feeding.
Waking.
Soothing.
Physical comfort.
Parental exhaustion.
Newborn behavior.
And the countless small variables that can influence what a family’s nights actually look like.
That practical experience adds another layer to her professional sleep education.
Sleep, Feeding & Newborn Care Belong in the Same Conversation
Annika’s current consultation services illustrate how interconnected these areas can be.
Parents can work with her before or after their baby’s arrival to discuss nursery setup, newborn care, breastfeeding, bottle feeding, pumping, swaddling, baby sleep and other questions surrounding the early months.
Even something as seemingly simple as preparing a nursery becomes an opportunity to think about both practicality and sleep environment.
Rather than separating these concerns into unrelated categories, Annika’s work reflects the reality parents actually experience:
It’s all happening at the same time.
Supporting Parental Wellbeing While Respecting Scope
Annika’s approach also demonstrates thoughtful professional boundaries.
Her FAQ acknowledges that postpartum depression and anxiety can affect families and that doulas can provide emotional support, practical assistance and connections to appropriate resources.
At the same time, she explicitly states that she does not diagnose or treat postpartum depression or anxiety and directs parents toward appropriate medical or mental-health support when needed. She is also a member of the Postpartum Health Alliance and Postpartum Support International.
That distinction matters.
Holistic support doesn’t mean attempting to become every professional a family may need.
Sometimes excellent holistic care means recognizing when another professional needs to become part of the support team.
14+ Years and 100 Families Served
Annika’s current professional doula profile reports 14 years of postpartum doula experience and 100 families served, while other current directories describe approximately 15 years in the field.
Her work includes families with a wide variety of circumstances, and her professional listings identify services for multiples, premature infants, adoptive families, intended parents and LGBTQIA+ families, in addition to newborn care, feeding and sleep support.
She provides services throughout the greater San Diego area and also offers virtual support.
In 2024, Itsy Bitsy Dreamers was recognized by Expertise.com among its “8 Best Doulas in San Diego,” an honor Annika currently highlights on her website.
From Germany to California
Annika’s story also crosses continents.
Born and raised in Germany, she made California her home in 2007 before relocating to San Diego in August 2023.
She speaks both German and English, giving her another avenue for connecting with families from different backgrounds.
Today, her work through Itsy Bitsy Dreamers reflects more than a decade of education and hands-on experience supporting families during the earliest stages of parenthood.
And through it all, Annika has continued learning.
Professional Profile
Annika Glaub
Certified Postpartum Doula | Maternity & Child Sleep Consultant | Lactation Educator
Location: San Diego, California, USA
Practice: Itsy Bitsy Dreamers
IPHI Certification
Maternity & Child Sleep Consultant — 2013
International Parenting & Health Institute
Professional Credentials
Certified Postpartum Doula
Doula Trainings International — 2011
Certified Lactation Educator
Evergreen Perinatal Education — 2012
Certified Pre- & Perinatal Psychology Educator
Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health — 2016
Certified Pre- & Postnatal Coach
Girls Gone Strong — 2020
Professional Focus
Postpartum Doula Care
Newborn Care
Gentle Sleep Coaching
Infant & Child Sleep
Breast, Chest & Bottle Feeding Support
Pumping Support
Pre- & Perinatal Psychology
Infant Development
Postpartum Recovery
Parent Education
Languages
English
German
An Inspiration in Whole-Family Postpartum Support
Annika’s career is a reminder that infant sleep doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
Behind every sleeping or waking baby is a much larger story.
There may be a mother recovering from birth.
A parent learning to breastfeed or pump.
A partner adjusting to an entirely new role.
A baby learning to feed.
An exhausted household finding a new rhythm.
And parents trying to distinguish trustworthy information from the overwhelming amount of advice surrounding them.
Annika has spent more than a decade stepping into that transition and helping families navigate it.
Her education has evolved from postpartum doula care into lactation, maternal and child sleep, pre- and perinatal psychology, pre- and postnatal coaching and continued professional development.
Yet the purpose connecting those disciplines has remained remarkably consistent:
support the baby while supporting the people caring for the baby.
💙 Congratulations, Annika!
We are proud to recognize your continued commitment to families and celebrate the compassionate, multidisciplinary work you have built upon your IPHI sleep education as part of our global graduate community.
