Doria did $7,000 grandparent class to prepare for royal baby

Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland reportedly prepared for the birth of the royal baby by signing up to $7,000 grandparenting classes.

Yesterday the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the birth of their baby boy and Doria was confirmed to be with the couple as they enjoyed their first few hours as a new family at Frogmore Cottage.

The fact that Doria was given a special mention yesterday, when Buckingham Palace officially announced the baby’s birth, also offers an indication of the important role she'll play in the coming weeks.

From the moment she found out her daughter was expecting, the 62-year-old yoga instructor, was said to have been keen to prep for grandparenting duties, with reports suggesting she had taken classes at Los Angeles-based Cradle Company.

And now the owner of the company, whose clients include actresses Meghan Fox, Rosamund Pike and Julia Stiles, has opened up about the important role grandparents can play in the weeks and months following a new baby's birth.

"Some mothers want to forge their own path, and don’t want grandmother to take a strong role in their parenting philosophy; others find strength in grandma and lean on her to encourage, nurture and help them," Brandi Jordan told Daily Mail.

"We feel grandmothers have a lot of value to offer to new mothers, and we don’t discount the wisdom they have," the 40-year-old, who is known as ‘The Baby Sleep Fairy’, added.

Jordan went on to say that even though grandparents often have an abundance of parenting wisdom and experience, taking a parenting class can help provide them with more modern and new information.

"Things have changed since they had their kids, so we bring them up-to-date," she told Daily Mail. "For example, we tell them about products that weren’t on the market 30 or 40 years ago."

But she also said it is important to create a mother/grandmother partnership where shared advice can benefit everyone.

"Those old-school remedies, such as massaging a baby’s colicky stomach with olive oil, and traditional ways of treating coughs and colds, can still be helpful," she adds.

Doria was understood to have travelled to the UK from Los Angeles some weeks ago to be with her daughter during her first days as a new mum.

And according to PR expert Nick Ede, who exclusively revealed to Kate Thornton in Yahoo UK’s The Royal Box the then grandmother-to-be was ‘ready’ and ‘raring to go’.

“I think she’s going to be a really great grandmother,” he says.

“She’s got a really strong maternal instinct and she’s the perfect partner to be with Meghan at this time.”

Doria has been by Meghan’s side for every important occasion. She accompanied her daughter in the car during the drive from Cliveden House to St George’s Chapel in Windsor, on her wedding day.

She also made a surprise appearance at the launch of the Hubb Community Kitchen cookbook last September, just weeks before Meghan announced her pregnancy.

So it is no surprise that she will have a key role in the upbringing of her grandchild.

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