Birth doulas are becoming more mainstream. Even though not everyone knows what they do exactly, many people have at least heard of them. Fewer people seem to know about, or have even heard of, postpartum doulas and that needs to change because they are an awesome resource for new parents!
Postpartum doulas are experts in the transition that comes with adding a new baby to the family. They provide practical, hands-on support for parenting, baby care, emotional and physical birth recovery, and the day-to-day needs of being new parents.
Postpartum doulas are experts in the transition that comes with adding a new baby to the family. They provide practical, hands-on support for parenting, baby care, emotional and physical birth recovery, and the day-to-day needs of being new parents.
Postpartum doulas help support your birth recovery whether that's listening to you tell your birth story or helping you to rest, hydrate and fuel your body with nourishing foods to support your physical recovery. They help you get comfortably settled and then sit with you as you get the hang of nursing, answering questions about things as they happen, and reassuring you when everything is going well, but you're just not sure. Postpartum doulas help you learn and identify your baby's subtle feeding cues allowing you to feed baby at the appropriate time. They help assist you as you give baby their first bath and then care for your baby so you can have your own. Postpartum doulas help reassure your partner as they're practicing their baby soothing skills during baby's evening "witching hour". They show you how to use that baby carrier your friend bought for you, or talk cloth diapering because you know you want to give them a try, but they're kind of intimidating! Before your postpartum doula leaves for the day they may throw in a load of laundry or load the dishwasher and then make sure that your family will have something readily available for dinner so you're not scrambling later on.
A postpartum doula visit will look different for every family and will even vary from visit to visit because their support is tailored to your individual needs. Postpartum doulas will do what is needed so you can focus on bonding with your baby and adjusting to your new normal.
When I started birth work I had not initially planned on offering postpartum care, but I have found that the one postpartum visit shortly after birth that I offer as part of my birth doula package is sometimes not enough for families. When we meet, families have often only been home from the hospital for a few days, they're still trying to get breastfeeding established, and they're still very much in survival mode of just trying to get everyone's basic needs met. Although I answer questions and offer support during that visit, needs evolve quickly during those early days and it's helpful to have ongoing support from a knowledgeable and trusted source.
Anyone who has had a baby knows there's a transition that happens after the birth and I'm so glad to be able to offer support to parents as they navigate that transition. By allowing me to nurture your family and help guide you on your postpartum journey it eases the transition and builds your parenting confidence allowing you to focus on enjoying this special time.
Contact me if you would like more information about how a postpartum doula can help you.
RSS Feed
