3 Reasons to Hire a Postpartum Doula

 You prepared for your birth but what about postpartum and newborn care?

Welcoming a new baby is one of the most momentous and joyous times of your life – while also rocking your world and identity from every angle.

You’ve heard stories from friends and family that you need to “ask for help”, but what does that really mean?

Maybe you have a partner who wants to help but doesn’t know exactly what to do.

Perhaps family and friends have offered to cook a meal, hold the baby, or fold laundry. You think that sounds good, but maybe you’re left a bit weary if that will be enough?

This is where a postpartum doula can help, a person who is an expert in postpartum recovery and newborn care and can validate your emotional experience. 

Here are three reasons why hiring a postpartum doula could make sense for you:

Family members aren’t always the most supportive choice.

If you are fortunate to have family in town and who are willing to help that can be a wonderful experience for everyone involved. However, sometimes family members are not the most supportive choice for helping during your vulnerable postpartum period. If you are triggered by a family member and want to protect your mental health, you may want to consider investing in support from a postpartum professional who is well versed on the emotional experience during your fourth trimester. 

Infant care and postpartum recovery guidelines have changed a lot since your parents had a baby. Sometimes it is challenging for older family members to adjust to “the new way” of doing things (even when rooted in evidence-based research) and that can cause some friction. A postpartum doula is trained in the latest evidence-based care and provides a calm, safe, nurturing space for you to recover and discover your newborn and yourself with ease. 

This isn’t to say that having family around to enjoy your baby isn’t wonderful - it is! But there is a difference between sharing the experience and relying on them exclusively for support.

Take the pressure off your partner

While partners are a wonderful support for many, most are not experts in postpartum recovery and newborn care. Many partners are not able to take time off work (or have a limited amount of paternity leave) and wish they could do more to support. This is where a postpartum doula can come in to help. Whether that is providing overnight care so you and your partner can get some much needed rest or coming in during the day to check-in on you and care for you and baby while your partner is at work - postpartum doulas can meet you where you are. This support can bring security to a partner who wishes they could be home more to know they are not leaving you alone or carrying their weight. In fact, it’s often the partners who end up being the most grateful to our postpartum doulas for their support! 

Prioritize your healing

No matter how you gave birth, the first six to eight weeks postpartum are considered the recovery period (although many would argue it’s longer, hence the term fourth trimester). Even with an easy and smooth pregnancy, your mind, body, and soul is going through a lot of changes.

Our current culture puts an unreasonable amount of pressure to bounce back from birth and fast-tracks us on the path to super parent - a recipe for burnout. Yet, many of us live in a reality where we have to get back to work (and many of us want to!) so how can you craft an intentional postpartum recovery period that will maximize your healing and care so that when it is time to emerge from your postpartum cocoon - your cup is more full?

A postpartum doula’s job is to prioritize your well-being. To support your transition so that you are supported, rested, recovered, and confident to face your parenthood journey once the time comes to do it all on your own. 

Are you considering hiring a postpartum doula? Our team at Doulas of North County in San Diego includes both daytime and overnight doulas who are experts in supporting families in their homes during the fourth trimester. We would love to help!