"The ways in which the woman, baby, partner & siblings make the transition to a new family unit have a long-term impact on their physical and emotional health. The postpartum doula fills a large gap in maternity care and is able to facilitate a smooth and rewarding transition".
For pregnant women it's often hard to focus on the fourth trimester before the baby is born. Preoccupied with all the changes in their bodies, anticipating labor & delivery, when we are pregnant we often feel as if postpartum is a territory far off in the distance.
Postpartum Doula
I am a Certified Postpartum doula trained by DONA International and so far I have served around 25 families. To support your family after the birth with a smooth transition, I am happy to connect with you.
Why is extra support so important?
As a new mom everything is new. You have just ran "that Marathon". You are very likely to feel exhausted. Your body needs rest! You need to heal, emotionally & physically. Your hormones (mood) are going from very happy "the pink cloud", to very emotional. They call it "the baby blues". If the delivery of the baby was tough, if it was a preterm birth, if the baby cries a lot or if the breastfeeding is not going well or what you expected, you would love to have someone around to share your worries and to help and advice you how to take care of a Newborn.
Someone who is not your mother, or mother in law, or friend. Someone who is a professional. Someone who's a calm presence in your home with lots of experience, who makes your life easier and who gives you tons of advice. If it's your first baby you are probably unsure about many things.
They say: "a Postpartum Doula is someone who has to work herself out of the house".
In fact she gives you tools & confidence to move forward.
When I had my Postpartum Doula she treated me like a Queen. I stayed in bed for 5 days and she brought me every day my fruit, lunch, coffee or tea and we took care of my baby together. Besides that she did my laundry, she changed my bed linen every day and I was able to take a nap. We missed her when she left but after 6 days it was also okay to be on our own with all what we had learned.
A postpartum doula could be helpful in many ways. I would like to give you a summary of where she can be helpful:
Newborn care:
Infant feeding support, breastfeeding, sleeping, swaddling, bathing, responding to baby’s cues, diapering, infant massage, baby wearing. In my postpartum training I learned the basic breastfeeding techniques. So I can help you with the basics. Do you need more support I will refer you to a lactation consultant.
Maternal care:
Sitzbath instruction, perineal healing, breast tenderness, Cesarean recovery, postpartum mood and adjustment assessment. Sleep & rest.
Household management:
Meal preparation, short errands, baby laundry, bed linen refresh, bottle washing, sibling adjustment & support.
So when she leaves your house, you feel much stronger, hopefully is your baby in a better rhythm, you are looking back on a wonderful postpartum week and you are ready to do it on your own!
Actually, she's priceless!
If you are an expat family, you will most likely not have your family around; During that first week I will be your family and I will make sure you can look back on a wonderful week.
During birth and postpartum, I always work with a back-up Doula from my own network.