Postpartum Support
Posted on: January 3, 2022 | Babies, Body, Doulas, education, Famillies, Feeding, Friendship, Health, Infant Feeding Specialist, Information, Motherhood, Parenting, Postpartum Doulas, Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Relationships, sleep, VFD Team
Claudia lied wide awake. It was 3 am. She was 5 days postpartum. Her chest was large, hard as rocks, and filled with milk that filled her breast seemingly overnight. She was in pain. Evyn lay in the bassinet next to the bed. Both were exhausted. It was a long emotional day, and Claudia wasn’t ready or willing to face another one like that.
She recalled her prenatal visit with her doulas, and again a conversation that occurred during her postpartum follow-up. Postpartum doula support. Claudia wasn’t interested at the time. Mainly because she was already overwhelmed with preparing for a baby and being pregnant. However the more she lay awake tired, in pain, and alone, she pondered the idea. Having in-home support from experts sounded like a dream.
What is Postpartum Doulas Support
A postpartum doula provides support while a family is in the postpartum period of the childbirth stage. Often known as the 4th trimester. There are emotional and physical changes that a family may endure in the postpartum period. A plethora of questions and concerns can arise while in the new trenches of parenting. Postpartum doulas provide the support that is tailored to the family’s specific needs, wants/desires, and bouts of ‘help me’s’. Because every family’s dynamic and parenting philosophies are unique to them, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to the postpartum period. Postpartum doulas are versed, trained, and certified to know what is normal, what’s beyond the scope of normal, and how to assist in navigating both.
Postpartum Doula Support During Recovery from Birth
During the postpartum period, support while recovering from birth is vital. Birth is a labor of love and can be emotionally, physically, and educationally impactful to the birthing person. No matter how one has given birth, the body is affected. Postpartum doulas provide support during recovery from birth by being a safe space for the family. The thoughts, the questions, the hormones, the emotions, and the feelings that conjure up during this vulnerable time in a family’s life are in the unbiased non-judgemental hands of their doula.
Physically, a postpartum doula assists with hands-on newborn help. Sometimes the little things like a burp, a swaddle, holding, sleep guidance, and more can give parents insight into the newborn phase. A doula is an extra set of hands to help tidy around the home and run errands.
The expertise, experience, and educational support of a postpartum doula, set a family up to succeed and excel through the postpartum. While many families survive this realm, postpartum doulas support families to thrive. When we know, we grow and postpartum doulas supply the education that parents seek for the parenting style that they instinctively feel. While baby’s don’t come with a manual, families can come home with a postpartum doula as their guide.
When to Hire a Postpartum Doula
So when is the best time to hire a postpartum doula? Ideally, prenatally! Many prepare mentally and physically for the birth, but very few think about the immediate life after the birth. Birth will come. Birth will happen. It is predictable in the sense that it has a solution. Postpartum on the other hand is a bit of a wild card. How one gives birth can impact the postpartum period. Who one has around them in the postpartum realm can have an impact. How one has prepared (or not prepared) for life with a baby can impact their postpartum period.
Stepping into the unknowns of parenthood with instinct and an expert, well ahead of the “Uh oh…we need help!” in a cry of desperation allows for peace in one’s postpartum. Hiring prenatally is setting a foundation for serenity and success!
Benefits of a Postpartum Doula
The benefits of postpartum doula support are something that is best when experienced. The support of a doula has statistically proven to reduce the onset of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, increase breastfeeding success over the past six weeks, implement healthy sleep patterns for the entire family, and build confidence and empowerment in the parents. A postpartum doula can reduce the instances of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, as having someone to converse, lean on, and confide in without the fear of judgment is a BIG factor in healing. Postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum rage, OCD, and PTSD do not discriminate; therefore support in this time is vital.
Because postpartum doulas are educated in some level of breastfeeding, they can aid in navigating what a healthy latch looks like, explain what a well-fed baby looks like, and when the baby may not be eating enough. Beyond the scope of a doula, they provide families with resources to help achieve the desired outcome.
Sleep deprivation is a tool often utilized in military warfare for a reason, it’s a real devil of torture. Postpartum doulas understand sleep and how to help implement healthy sleep shaping for families to achieve sleep that is restful and desired. Society says that families shouldn’t expect to sleep for the first 3 years after welcoming a new baby. Why is that the expected norm? Why shouldn’t everyone in a home with a baby experience a full-night sleep? It is an absolute dream to have your doula assist with this feat. (pun intended)
Confidence in one’s self, along with validation from those valued, makes a difference in one’s worth. Believing in and loving oneself and feeling empowered builds and chips away from self-doubt. “It takes a village” is not only a cutesy saying, it truly is a saving grace.
Claudia called Vegas Family Doulas to schedule her package of hours with her postpartum doula as soon as she had the energy to emerge from the bed. She knew that while she was fully capable of being the best mom to Evyn that she possibly could, Claudia also accepted that this road was a lot bumpier than she had envisioned, and she needed to bring in reinforcements. Claudia wanted to be able to live, breathe, and love on Evyn with every ounce of her soul; and she was aware that there were somethings she just couldn’t achieve alone.