What does a postpartum doula do?

Doula means ‘mothering the mother’.

Postpartum doulas provide newborn care, lactation counseling, sleep counseling and household help. We are responsible for providing non judgmental support, evidence based information and education. We work in the homes of new mothers for the first months after the birth of their babies.

Similar roles and phrases surrounding this type of work:

Mother’s helper
Baby Care
Lactation Counselor
Baby nanny

What does this work look like?

I meet prenatally to help organize the home, nursery and any other members of the support team. (Outlining responsibilities and expectations is work that is best done in advance.) I provide a newborn care class and a lactation class as well as meal prep for soups, stews and broths to be frozen. I always encourage my clients to try to book me for a visit right after the birth while in the hospital for lactation support and a modified version of my Ayurvedic massage.

Once the family is home I cook nourishing foods rich in iron, protein, collagen, micro and macro nutrients to aid in recovery from depletion and help speed healing. (I also have a Postpartum Soup Bundle that can be purchased ahead of time.) I do dishes, laundry and of course provide even more lactation support. I can also simply care for the newborn while parents sleep.

After the first few weeks the focus tends to shift into finding a daily rhythm, newborn care techniques and education on developmentally appropriate sleep habits for the baby. I also help parents with planning childcare help.

I can be a sleep consultant one day and provide a massage the next. Maybe I play with the older children while mama naps with the newborn. Sometimes the work is just to sit and talk about all the things that the parents are struggling with. My job and my life’s joy is to simply be an extra set of hands or a sympathetic ear to new parents.

Why is this work important?

Mental health conditions are caused by changes in biology, psychology and environment. All of which mothers experience in their immediate postpartum period. In our western culture we typically do not live in multi generational homes. We do not have the paid leave like other first world countries yet. This means that women are lacking the basic safety net that so many other cultures have in place to thrive during this very vulnerable period in their lives. There is a reason for the phrase ‘it takes a village’ and it can be hard for parents in the US to figure out their village. Postpartum doulas are playing a vital role in supporting mothers during this transition. We help families find their rhythm and their village.

*REAL TALK*

If you are pregnant it is important to understand that your placenta is an organ. No matter what type of birth or how well the birth goes, you will still have lost an organ in your body and will have a large wound to heal from. Healing from this requires lots of rest and proper nutrition. Now think of all the things you do every day to keep your life in order. Are you the primary cleaner? The primary cook? Are there pets or other children to take care of? If you were to lose any other organ in your body would anyone expect you to do anything other than heal for the required time? No. But in our culture women find themselves still trying to do all the everyday things with little to no help instead of recovering.

Now on top of healing, if a mother is hoping to exclusively breastfeed a newborn this requires the baby to be attached to the body about every 1 - 2 hours around the clock in those first weeks. To feel rested adult humans need 4.5 - 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. This means that a new mother without proper help will not feel rested for quite a while and will start to experience the effects of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation impairs a persons ability to cope and allows feelings of overwhelm, anxiety and depression to creep in.

After the placenta leaves the body, huge hormonal changes occur which can be exhausting and confusing. Combine this with limited help, sleep deprivation, lots of alone time with a fragile new human and things can get scary quickly. The reality is that 75% of maternal mental health issues go untreated.

Services 4th Trimester provides in the home for up to 3 months after birth:

Newborn Care

Lactation Counseling

Sleep Counseling

Weekly Meal Prep with ingredients that aid recovery and lactation

Ayurvedic Massage with warm oils + Herbal Baths

“Birth is not only about making babies. It is also about making mothers— strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength.”
Barbara Katz Rothman, PhD