What Does A Postpartum Doula Do?

The first few weeks after pregnancy are a huge adjustment period. Suddenly there’s one more person in your house and they’re totally dependent on you to survive. There’s a lot to figure out, you need to prioritize healing, and everything you usually do around the house still needs to get done. It’s a lot.

Maybe you feel overwhelmed looking at the pile of dishes in the sink and the mess in the living room and the clothes piling up in the laundry basket. It’s very tempting to tackle these things yourself because you know they’re necessary, but you’ve got a more important job. Wether you are the partner that has given birth or not, you’ve got to adjust to your new role and the complex changes that come with it. If you’ve given birth there is a very large wound inside of you that will take quite some time to fully heal. Either way, both you and your partner will go through neurological changes and stress makes it harder to deal with becoming a new parent (or becoming a parent again if this is not your first child).

This is where a postpartum doula comes in handy. We come in and take care of everything that falls to the wayside after you welcome your baby. Our main job is to hold new parents and make space for the big changes in your life.

Every doula offers different support services based on their particular skillset, but most offer the same basic services. Baby care and education, care management for the birthing parent, baby laundry, and washing and sanitizing baby bottles and pump parts. Some doulas, like me, will offer extra services as part of their care.

I add nursery set-up, birth prep, grocery shopping, meal planning and prep, general tidying, dish washing, laundry for parents and baby, and soon I will be adding prenatal, postpartum, and baby massage.

My services are designed to be flexible and accommodating. You can pick and choose which parts of the service will best serve you and your family so that you get the best value. Not every part of my support is helpful for every family and that’s okay. When you book a consultation with me, we will talk about what services will best serve you and your family and adjust accordingly. Book your free consultation today to see if our services are a good fit for you and your family.