What are you looking for?

Mother Stories

At Home With Ob-Gyn & “Single Mom By Design” Dr. Joy Cooper

Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano

Photography by Vanessa Mona Hellmann

Families come to be in all types of ways—and no one knows this better than Dr. Joy Cooper, an Oakland-based ObGyn who has helped countless women on their reproductive journeys. Recently, Dr. Joy herself became a “single mom by design” when she decided to start her own motherhood chapter during the pandemic. Now mama to 1-year-old Nina Simone (named after the icon), Dr. Joy recently invited us into her home to discuss life with her little love and her company, Culture Care, which does the vital work of connecting Black women with Black physicians to get the care they deserve.

We also talked about what self-care looks like as a solo parent, the power of community, and Dr. Joy’s favorite nature-inspired products for daily pampering from Burt’s Bees—including the brand’s Calming Day Lotion, infused with rice extract and aloe, and the plant-based, tear-free Shampoo & Wash—both crowd-pleasers for babies and Earth-loving mamas.

After reading our profile below, be sure to head over to YouTube to see our beautiful video featuring Dr. Joy and Nina Simone!

This post is brought to you by Mother + Burt’s Bees.

Write a Comment

  1. Gloria says...

    Love it, beautiful mom – beautiful daughter!

Share this story