When To Hire a Postpartum Doula
So when should you hire a postpartum doula?
The bigger question is-what IS postpartum doula support?
The bigger question needs to be answered first-what IS postpartum doula support? According to the American Pregnancy Association, ‘a postpartum doula provides evidence based information on things such as infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing, mother-baby bonding and basic newborn care’ (APA, 2019)
A postpartum doula can be a shoulder to lean on while you get your new family situated. A postpartum doula can help you learn the ropes of parenting, or parenting multiple children. There are always clinicians like pediatricians, lactation consultants and the like. However, a postpartum doula is just for you and is your personal resource for all things that happen in the postpartum recovery period. It really is amazing to know you have support without having to leave your home!
A postpartum doula is there for YOU!
A postpartum doula is there for YOU. They are your personal guide as you transition into parenthood, to hold your hand and help you learn the confidence needed to soar on your own!
A postpartum doula can help you as you learn to give your baby a bath, help with any infant feeding issue and can help answer alllll your questions. All of them-from questions about belly buttons and umbilical cords, to how to diaper and ‘is that really supposed to look like that?’. Some postpartum doulas will even do light housework like dishes and folding baby’s laundry. Doesn’t it sound amazing to have this kind of person in your personal arsenal? Your rest and recovery is SO vital, why would you do all of this alone if you didn’t have to?
This is especially relevant during a Covid pandemic, when your family cannot be near
So when SHOULD you hire a postpartum doula? I would like to say ‘as soon as you know you’re pregnant’ and I wouldn’t be joking. Realistically, a good time is as soon as you’re ready to start interviewing. For Michigan Family Doulas, the sooner we have the calendar blocked off for you, the sooner you can rest easy about your transition into parenthood and all it will entail. But let’s just say for the sake of argument, that you’re reading this and your baby is due tomorrow. That’s ok too! Reach out to a postpartum doula as soon as you can. Quite often, we can accommodate last minute support needs as an agency of our size. We sometimes have doulas that would like an extra family to care for during a slower week. After you call, you can expect the opportunity to virtually interview a few doulas to find one that you click with that is a good fit for you and then get one scheduled to come help support you as soon as possible.
Check us out to find out more information on booking your own personal postpartum doula: https://michiganfamilydoulas.com
