What Does A Postpartum Doula Do?

What Does A Postpartum Doula Do?

I’m a postpartum doula on Long Island. The first response I get when I tell someone this is, “What is a postpartum doula? What do you do?” The answer is quite simple childbirth classes, birthing classes near me, childbirth classes near me, online birthing classes, Lamaze class, Lamaze classes online, Childbirth Education Classes, modern moms, ny, nyc, new york, Birth Doula, postpartum doula, postpartumand the service is a life-saver for many.

Mothering The Mother

My job is to help Long Island postpartum moms who have recently birthed or adopted a baby. I help them cope, adjust, heal, and feel confident in their parenting. How do I do this? Well, I provide a myriad of services that combine into a practice of care and support.

The first tenant of being a postpartum doula is to “Mother the Mother.” Us doulas believe that every mama deserves to be nurtured with compassion; so, our role is to give motherly love and support. We don’t replace any client’s mom or other family member. In fact, we often work hand-in-hand with our clients’ family members to give as much help as possible.

What Services Postpartum Doulas Provide

childbirth classes, birthing classes near me, childbirth classes near me, online birthing classes, Lamaze class, Lamaze classes online, Childbirth Education Classes, modern moms, ny, nyc, new york, Birth Doula, postpartum doula, postpartumThe types of services a postpartum doula does will depend on the doula. I provide full spectrum care to moms, which includes the following:

1. Emotional and physical support for mom

2. Postpartum care – help with healing and perineum care, c-section support, rest, and sleep

3. Infant care – educate the whole family on baby care best practices, help with bathing, sleep, feeding, and more

4. Feeding education – breast and formula

5. Nutrition – guidance for healing and lactation, meal and snack preparation

6. Household chores – light tasks such as washing dishes, doing laundry for the whole family, kitchen cleanup, and organizing the baby’s room

7. Family support – help partners and older children adjust to new family dynamic

8. Mental health – I’m trained to educate and identify perinatal mood and anxiety disorders such as postpartum depression and anxiety

9. Overnight care – I’ll take care of your baby’s needs throughout the night including diaper changes, bringing baby to you for breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and comforting baby so you can get a good night’s sleep

I do all this and even more!

What Postpartum Doulas Don’t Do

Postpartum doulas are not medical health providers. While we can provide evidence-based information on care, we aren’t doctors and cannot answer medical questions. When appropriate, we will refer clients to their pediatricians.

Sometimes people assume we are just like babysitters. However, our job is to put the mom first, not baby. Postpartum doulas will often watch over the baby so that mom can get some rest. But, we don’t completely take over care for extended periods of time unless we are providing overnight care. More importantly we are highly trained professionals that receive certification credentials.

We also typically do not do heavy cleaning like vacuuming, washing the floors, cleaning the bathroom, etc.

Learn More

Are you a Long Island mom looking for support? Contact me or learn more about postpartum care here.

The Postpartum Catch-22

The Postpartum Catch-22

Healing During Postpartum? It’s Not Always That Easy

The moment you’ve been waiting for has come and gone. Baby is here! You did it! Whether you went natural, had medical interventions or surgical birth (c-section), you delivered your sweet little one. Now it’s time to go home. Your care provider gives you “The Postpartum Speech” before you leave the hospital. Do this, not that. Don’t push yourself to do too much. If you do, your bleeding will come back or get worse. Take it easy. But here’s the catch – you have a new, tiny human being that depends on you or you and your partner 24/7.

Diapers need to be changed. Dishes washed. Laundry cleaned. When I brought my daughter home, I felt like the medical advice I was given was impossible to follow. Something constantly needed to be done. Take it easy? How? Please someone tell me.

I came home with a third degree tear (Yup. You read that right). Moving was so painful. Sitting was unbearable. Getting up, walking and standing were the worst. Whether you tore like me, didn’t tear at all, or had a c-section, birth is exhausting and recovery can be rough. All I wanted to do was lie perfectly still in bed with an ice diaper and a heating pad on my back and sleep for seven days straight. Alas, this wasn’t an option.

My Privilege & My Mistake

Postpartum healing quoteThe most eye-opening part of this experience was that I had help. So many other moms don’t have others to rely on after bringing baby home. I had my husband and my mom even stayed with us for the first two weeks. With all this support, I didn’t think I would need a postpartum doula. I thought, “Of course I’ll be able to get rest. There will be three of us to take care of the baby. Why would I need anymore help?” The three of us took turns sleeping, bottle feeding, rocking baby and washing dishes. And yet I was on my feet way more than I should have been.

My body had been through something extreme. Researchers liken birth to completing a marathon or climbing Mount Everest. We were all taking care of the baby. There wasn’t much time to take care of me, too, though my family tried their best.

Learning to Balance

While getting rest to the extent I needed to heal more quickly was not going to happen, I realized not getting a postpartum doula was a mistake and that this process was going to take a lot more time. My bleeding would come back, I’d stay in bed for day. Bleed, rest, repeat. Bleed, rest, repeat. I had to learn my new limits for those first six weeks.

I needed to heal and take care of myself; I needed to take care of my baby. Those two things were in constant conflict of each other. I suppose this is one of the earliest lessons in motherhood – the need for balance. I’m still learning.

Sending love to all you mamas!

Cassie