Every Family Deserves a Postpartum Doula
The history books are full of stories of women having the support of other women during childbirth and in the early weeks that followed. The early 1900s introduced the option for women to birth outside of the home and in the 1940’s hospital births became mainstream. This shift in where women birthed impacted the amount of and duration of postpartum care she was provided. Today 98% of births happen in the hospital. The average length of stay is 48 hours after which the new family is sent home, more often than not to navigate the ups and downs of adjusting to a new baby on their own. Hiring a postpartum doula can be a game-changer for the new family.
A postpartum doula provides the new family with evidenced-based information support with breastfeeding and other feeding options, support with emotional and physical recovery from labour and birth, support with parent/baby bonding, support for better sleep, and support with basic newborn care. The postpartum doula caters to the individual needs of each family. For some, this may be in the form of caring for other young children, so mom can rest, and take care of the new babies immediate needs. For others this may be in the form of light housekeeping, running errands and providing breastfeeding support. For others, this may look like overnight baby care and listening to the new parents as they work through concerns, thoughts, and feelings that arise. The various ways postpartum doulas can be supportive are numerous.
The support offered by a postpartum doula can be empowering to the new parents, providing them with choices and control as they transition into their new roles as parents. Providing them with confidence and the ability to trust that they know what is best for their family. Support offered by a postpartum doula is also repeatedly proven to be a key factor in the prevention of postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, overwhelm and burnout. Hiring a postpartum doula can be the greatest gift new parents give themselves. Every new family deserves a postpartum doula.
References
American Pregnancy (Ed.). (2019, October 21). Postpartum doula. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from https://americanpregnancy.org/first-year-of-life/post-partum-doula/
CDC (Ed.). (2015, November 06). Trends in Out-of-Hospital Births in the United States, 1990–2012. Retrieved March 11, 2020, fromhttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db144.htm
DONA (Ed.). (2020). Benefits of a doula. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula/benefits-of-a-doula/
Greenberg, Z. (2018, October 02). If only everyone had a postpartum doula. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/02/style/postpartum-doula.html
Lowe, A. (2014, June 20). Best kept secret for postpartum depression? Help at home. Retrieved March 11, 2020, from https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2014/06/20/best-kept-secret-for-postpartum-depression-help-at-home
Words in heart shape [Photograph]. (2020). Retrieved from https://birthkalamazoo.com/wp- content/uploads/2018/07/postpartum-doula-word-cloud-kalamazoo.png
Blog written by Delaney Case, Postpartum Doula and Lactation Expert © MonkeyMind Wellness 2020