WHAT IS A POSTPARTUM DOULA?

A postpartum doula is someone educated particularly in newborn and ‘mother’ (primary caregiver) care for the immediate postpartum period. Although they provide no medical advice or care, they do know what is normal for both newborn and parent in the first weeks following birth. Some have additional training and education in breastfeeding, baby wearing, infant massage, postpartum depression, baby sign language or other skills applicable to newborn or new parent care. 

ROLE OF A POSTPARTUM DOULA 

The doula provides support to the primary caregiver and their infant. She eases their recovery by taking care of them, ensuring they are eating, getting rest and focusing on their newborn. The doula offers hands-on support & education with feeding, either bottle or breast. She offers guidance with infant care in areas such as soothing and comforting techniques, burping, bathing and reading infant cues. She supports and encourages parent-infant bonding, providing information about the science of attachment. Any questions that are of a medical nature, she refers to the parent’s medical care provider or other care specialist. She can link up families and offer referrals to reputable community resources. She is non-judgmental and supports the type of parenting that the family chooses. 

Household chores are done by the doula including emptying dishwasher, baby laundry, light meal prep, & tidying up the home. Sibling care is also included in her services. As well, she may assist the parent in getting to a medical appointment, or go on an outing.

The doula is a companion for the primary parent. Unlike a family member or friend, the doula has completed a specialized professional training and continues to upgrade her knowledge by attending workshops and conferences. She keeps updated on what is current evidence based research in order to present correct information to her clients. This differs from receiving opinions and/or advice from well-intentioned relatives or friends. Their suggestions may be outdated and in some cases proven unsafe. 

BENEFITS OF POSTPARTUM DOULA

In addition to help from family and friends a postpartum doula provides tremendous benefits to new families or those with a new addition. Sometimes families hire a doula because they don’t have family close by and friends are often busy, unable to commit to any regular times to help out. The benefits of postpartum doulas have been documented. Please see the DONA paper: http://www.dona.org/publications/position_paper_postpartum.php 

I hope this blog post has provided useful information in order to help parents prior to the birth of their child. It’s an exciting, incredibly precious time filled with joy and awe. Parents’ preparations in advance will ease this transitional time from birth through the first early months. What is called the fourth trimester.