ABOUT OCTAVIA

Octavia Lindlahr is a certified Labor Doula, Childbirth Educator, Infant Massage Instructor, Reiki Practitioner, Massage Therapist, Hypnosis Instructor for labor and delivery, and Reflexologist. She is also trained to be a Midwife. Her academic background started in law school, and then transitioned to medicine when she lost her 4 year old sister to cancer in 1990. She worked in the Hematology-Oncology field until 2001 at which time she started working as the Director of Operations for a medical education company that specialized in HIV and Urology research. By the time she had her 3rd child, she knew that she wanted to change professions completely and started dedicating her life to babies. This career change involved changing professions from the corporate world to a much more holistic arena helping parents and their babies.

After working with many families and children, Octavia decided she wanted to concentrate on helping parents learn infant massage. Her focus was to work with parents whose children had experienced premature birth, or were experiencing colic, or sleep disturbances. Her interest in the infant brain grew stronger, and that is when the concept for “Outside the Box” play groups with developmental value and benefit came into existence. Octavia saw the need to help parents who didn’t know how to “play” and/or just have fun with their young infants. By showing parents how to “play” with their children, Octavia is able to help families attach and bond. Parents are engaged in their infant’s reactions to the play group activities and stimuli. They start to recognize their baby’s cues. This unique interaction and communication dance is the first step in building a life-long relationship.

Octavia is an avid researcher, and has explored the value and importance of multi-sensory stimulation in the infant brain. Following much of the work of Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, the play groups are designed to teach parents specialized activities to participate with their babies at home, build community, and enhance bonding. These groups are not designed to create an environment that is attached to accomplishing milestones, but rather, to develop a pathway for future learning. Octavia feels strongly that the learning and stimulation that the babies receive today will create a pattern of healthy stimulation and brain function for the future, as well as the socialization aspect of the groups. Above all else, the opportunity is laid out for parents to attach and bond, spend quality time laughing and playing, reading cues from their babies, and communicating through eye contact and gentle loving touch.

Octavia believes that experiences are like food for the brain. A rich diet of love and healthy stimulation causes the brain to grow and flourish. A positive environment nourishes the child's innate intelligence and allows him or her unique gifts to blossom.

Octavia lives in Woodland Hills with her three children. She owns and operates a Specialized Bodywork practice (www.specializedbodywork.com) which caters to pregnant, postpartum, and c-section mothers, is the owner of “Baby Planners, Inc.” as well as “Sacred Mother Doula Service” (www.sacredmotherdoula.com).