3 Reasons You Should Hire a Postpartum Doula
Having a new baby is exciting, overwhelming, and exhausting - even if this isn’t your first go-around. Having a professional on hand who can help you out those first few weeks can be a life saver!
But why would you need someone to help you? Isn’t parenthood magical and natural? Doesn’t handing your baby off to someone else make you “less of a mother”? Doesn’t that go against nature and disrupt bonding time?
Yes, those are all questions I hear often - sometimes in one consult. But I promise that if this was a thing that would be harmful to your experience or to your bonding time with your baby, it wouldn’t be as popular or sought-after as it is.
Listen. You can’t pour from an empty cup. You have to put on your oxygen mask first. {Feel free to insert your favorite analogy about self care here}.
Struggling as a new mom doesn’t earn you a badge of honor. There’s no prize for who suffers the most in any given Mommy Group. This is why asking for help isn’t harmful. This is why handing your baby to a trusted, vetted, experienced, empathetic, kind professional is not only a good thing, but a GREAT thing! You can have it all! You can be rested AND bond with your baby. In all actuality, being rested and supported and confident makes you a better parent. Weird, huh?
So now that we have that out of the way, what are some of the BIGGEST reasons parents hire postpartum doulas? There are a million little reasons that parents hire postpartum & newborn support, but here are the ones our families value the most:
Reason #1: SLEEP
Those first days and weeks with your new baby are exhausting. You are trying to learn about this new person you’ve brought home and that new person is trying to figure out this bright new world. A doula can be there to let you get some sleep. Need a nap? Get a doula. Want help at night for those midnight feedings and nighttime soothing? Get a doula. You can read more about what that looks like here.
Reason #2: FEEDING SUPPORT
Whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding, you and your baby are learning together. A Postpartum Doula is there to offer guidance and support for feeding needs. Need help getting a feeding station set up or getting all those pump and bottle parts sanitized? You have support there for you! Questions about if something baby is doing is normal? The answer is nearby. We are not all lactation consultants, but we have a basis in lactation support & can point you in the direction of our referral list.
Reason #3: SIBLING HELP
Do you have an older toddler/child who is confused about all the new changes happening? Get yourself someone who has been there! We are not only pros in all things postpartum & newborns, but we are far more qualified than most nannies and/or babysitters that you’ll find on Care.com (did you know that some of the Professionals with Oh Baby! KC have degrees and backgrounds Early Childhood Development/Education before their doula lives? True story. But not only that, many of us are mothers as well & we know what it’s like to be where you are in life) We can also help you spend that one on one time with your older child to help them with the transition to a big sibling.
Aside from these 3 BIG reasons, here are a couple of the million little reasons or perks that come with having a postpartum doula:
Emotional support
Help with dishes
Help with laundry
Help with meal prep
You won’t have to Google questions like “why is my baby’s poop green”
Postpartum body questions are not “TMI” for us
Having an adult around to talk to (postpartum can be incredibly isolating for some parents!)
Someone around to watch for any PMAD red flags
Having someone who is “plugged in” to resources for the new and growing families in your community
Being able to take a shower & actually be able to rinse the shampoo out of your hair (IYKYK)
Did I mention sleep and uninterrupted naps?
Having someone who can be a steady voice of reason when your hormones are regulating (ie: you feel a little crazy)
Newborn care tips
Being able to get sleep when either you or your partner go back to work
Having a person in your home whose sole purpose during that time is to support YOU & to help you have a lovely postpartum experience!