What is a postpartum doula?
The role of a postpartum doula may be new to you, and that’s okay! The goal is to help nurture the entire family, with the main purpose of supporting the parents navigate the transition into life with a newborn. This includes helping the parents feel more confident in their roles, assisting with sibling adjustment, and tending to newborn and household needs that will make your time less stressful.
In essence…
A postpartum doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a family after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.
Some of these duties include:
Breastfeeding support
Help with the emotional and physical recovery after birth
Light housekeeping
Running errands
Assistance with newborn care such as diapering, bathing, feeding and comforting
Light meal preparation
Baby soothing techniques
Sibling care
Referrals to local resources such as parenting classes, pediatricians, lactation support and support groups
If you had a cesarean delivery or any other birth complications, a postpartum doula can carry the load to help your recovery.
I am here to help…
The postpartum doula’s role is to support everyone in the family, including mom, dad, siblings, and baby. Unlike a baby nurse, whose sole focus is the new baby, the doula is there to support mom through the postpartum period and to help the family as a whole.
A postpartum doula does not provide medical advice, and therefore does not provide any medical care or procedures. A postpartum doula will be knowledgeable about medical procedures that pertain to the mother and baby so that she can provide evidence based information, but she will also know when and who to refer out to when the care needed goes beyond her scope of practice.
Most postpartum doulas provide service for a family anywhere from a few days up to a few months after bringing home a new baby. Families may have the support one or multiple days a week.
The price of postpartum doula services vary depending on what type of service you need and the doula’s skill level. They usually charge by the hour and may require a minimum amount of hours of service. Please contact me so we can talk more about your needs and costs of service.