What will a postpartum doula do for me?

What is a Postpartum Doula?

 

Imagining the first week home with your newborn you might picture excitement, exhaustion, and pure lovely happiness.  You might picture your baby sleeping, eating every few hours or every few minutes, changing diapers, burping and repeating! 

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You might be wondering when you will get any rest or have time to eat or take a shower once you have a baby. It will be challenging and difficult, but it will also be a new and amazing time for your family. A time of new beginnings, pure joy and amazing discovery.

 

Your postpartum doula is there to help you walk gently yet confidently into parenthood. With a combination of practical hands-on services and emotional and mental support to help you develop and settle into a new routine.

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What exactly does a postpartum doula do?

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Your doula teaches and assists with postpartum adjustment, newborn characteristics and care, development, breastfeeding, and parent-infant bonding. An empathic, compassionate, non-judgmental approach.

Services:

• Assisting in setting up your nursery and preparing for baby

• Light housekeeping (laundry, dishes, tidying up, etc)

• Meal planning and prepping

• Providing information and support regarding:

• Lactation

• Sleep

• Nutrition and exercise

• Errand running (grocery store, pharmacy, dry cleaning etc)

• Accompanying you on errands as an extra set of hands

• Accompanying you as added support, or to help with siblings, at Dr’s visits (either your own appointments or pediatrician visits)

• Caring for baby so you can shower or take a nap, or just have some alone time

• Information for spouses/partners in ways they can help support you

• New born care; soothing and swaddling techniques, bathing, diapering and umbilical cord care

• Baby wearing

• Assistance in understanding and reading your baby's cues for feeding and sleeping

• Refer you to local classes, support groups and specialists should the need come up

• Help establishing a mindfulness and reflective journaling practice to aid in postpartum

• mental health.

• Recognize the signs and symptoms of postpartum mood disorders and am able to offer information regarding care and local resources.

• A judgement free sounding board. As you process your birth story, deal with postpartum emotions and feelings, 

• Process ,at your own pace, your new season of motherhood

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The postpartum doula differs greatly from baby nurses who are there solely to tend to the baby’s needs. Your doula is there for you and the whole family. The doula is reassuring, and encouraging by mentoring families on how to care for their own newborn, and promoting parent-infant bonding.

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