What's a doula?

The word "doula" comes from the Greek word for the most important female servant.  In an ancient Greek household, this woman probably helped the lady of the house through her childbearing. The word has come to refer to "a woman experienced in childbirth providing continuous physical, emotional & informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth." 

Benefits of a Postpartum Doula

• Faster birth recovery.
• More likely to eat healthier & sleep more.
• Less stress & anxiety.
• Less incidence of postpartum mood disorders.
• Higher breastfeeding success rate.
• More confidence in parenting & childcare.

Benefits of an Overnight Postpartum Doula

• You'll get several hours of extra sleep.
• Rejuvenated sleep results in the benefits, above.
• I bring a relaxed atmosphere for a restful night.
• Worries and fears loom larger at night, it's nice to ask at 4 am "Is this normal?"
• Nothing is new to a postpartum doula, it's hard to rattle or alarm us. I'm there for you.

To read more about doulas, click on the image, below. 

 

Postpartum Doulas: We wear a lot of hats!

When you hire a postpartum doula, you are hiring a multitasking, mind-reading, troubleshooting Super Hero. Guess what? All these attributes are needed when you’re learning how to care for a new human being. A Postpartum Doula is definitely more than a babysitter or the person who cleans your countertops.

10. Bouncer: We can gently inform excited family members to back off your baby and that you're resting and not taking visitors.
9. Home Administrator: Laundry is not your priority, but very important after your precious baby soils your comfy leggings. If you feel like Old Mother Hubbard and the cupboards are bare, it’s time for the home admin. to go grocery shopping. 8. Partner Mediator: In case you need help suggesting your loving partner to take a nap - go out for a beer - give you space - get your mother-in-law off your back. 7. Nonjudgmental Analyst: You'll want to discuss every detail about your birth, but your partner is so done. I can really listen for hours. 6. Your Parent: You'll probably need someone to gently remind you to take a shower. But not someone to tell you how much easier breastfeeding was years ago. 5. Your Backup Brain: Sleep loss can sometimes lead to you doubting your own gut instinct. It helps to have someone to reassure you that you're dressing the baby correctly and that it’s ok to set your newborn down for a moment so you can hit the bathroom. 4. Confidential Informant: Most 2 month olds do not sleep through the night, and many 12 month olds don’t either. Don’t fall for all those perfect stories that your relatives share. 3. Nursing Technician: Feeding positions? Breastmilk storage? Clogged milk ducts?  I can help. 2. Personal Assistant: You deserve to be taken care of as you learn to take care of your newborn. I'll take overwhelming tasks and break them down for you. 1. Baby Virtuoso: As postpartum doulas, we've seen it all. We don't get rattled or nervous.

Excellent Postpartum Advice

In preparation for your new arrival it is likely you will take classes, read books and get advice from friends and family on how to take care of your new baby.

What you can easily forget in all the excitement is that you take care of yourself too!

To help you focus on YOU, we recently asked our nurses and midwives what postpartum recovery advice they give their patients.

We received advice for you from over 100 nurses!

Take note of the clear themes - limit visitors to take that time to bond with your new baby, accept help from others, do skin-to-skin and sleep when the baby sleeps!

Good luck in all your new parenting adventures!      

Top 20 Tips from Our Nurses and Midwives:

1. Absolutely choose a hospital for the care you will receive and not the new beautiful building. You're much more likely to receive a positive birth experience and the education you receive from your postpartum nurses will make all the difference in the world.
2. As a former postpartum nurse, I noticed how often new mothers put their needs last. It seems often families look at postpartum time as party time. I have seen c-section moms sleeping in the same room as 15-20 family members talking loudly and passing baby around for hours. My best advice is for new mothers tohave 1-2 designated family helpers to be there to help care for baby while she gets much needed naps throughout those exhausting first days. Baby's hunger cues are often missed when there are too many visitors for long stretches of time. It is difficult for new mothers to set limits.
3. Don't be afraid to ask people to leave. I have seen so many new mothers that are worn out from feeling like they cannot turn people away. Turn off your phone too. I wish I did for the first couple of days.
4. Breastfeeding is an acquired skill for you and baby, be prepared to be patient and try, try again. It is a wonderful thing for you both, but needs to be learned. Do not suffer in silence, please contact your OB/midwife for lactation nurse help/referral if you are having difficulty with latching and/or very sore nipples.
5. Sleep when baby sleeps.
   
6. If you had a cesarean, take a pillow for the car ride home to support your incision for the bumps in the road.
7. Use the Dermoplast (benzocaine topical) spray before having a bowel movement...it'll make the process a whole lot more comfortable and a lot less scary.
8. If someone offers to come over so you can shower, take them up on it. For c-section moms remember not only did you have a baby, but you had major surgery.
9. Trust yourself and your instincts. Pick and choose the advice, tips, expert advice etc. that works for you. And know that if you're worried about being a good mom, you already are.
10. Padsicle! Pad, ice pack, tucks, then a spray of Dermoplast.
11. Know your body. When you get home, use a hand held mirror to look at your perineum
    
    or you cesarean section incision. This way, if you experience problems, you will have a baseline to know if something is different, for example: increased swelling, redness, tenderness, or drainage from incision. It is helpful in knowing when to contact your physician with these issues.
12. Limit your visitors. You will not get this time back. Use it to bond as a family, seek help with breastfeeding. Skin to skin is the best bonding tool! We want to help you succeed with breastfeeding. You can press your call light for every feeding if you need to. Your baby needs your love and protection. You are your baby's primary advocate. Not all mothers' choose to or are able to breastfeed. How you feed your baby is your decision and your nurse will support you. Ask visitors to wait until you've been home for at least a couple weeks. Settle in, recover. Don't be afraid to ask for help. If someone wants to visit, ask them to leave their little ones at home.
13. Keep drinking water to flush out the excess fluids and keep hydrated. Accept help from anyone willing to cook a meal, run errands or do housework so you can rest and spend more time enjoying your new baby. Get outside for a walk. Fresh air and activity help to restore and rejuvenate sleep deprived minds and bodies as well as improve the blues!
14. While planning your new routine, ask someone to watch the baby for an hour of each day for you to spend as you please.
15. Good nutrition is key. Have a healthy snack each time you feed baby if you don't have an appetite. Try to get a good four hour blocks of sleep several times a week. Ask support people to change, burp, comfort baby and only bring baby to you for breast feeding to extend your sleep when tired. Have a good support system and don't be afraid to ask them for help. Soak up the sun when you can. Have an enjoyable activity to look forward to each week. Try to get out of the house, but if you can't do something you enjoy at home or pamper yourself. Relax and enjoy your baby. Use what works for you and don't try to follow everyone else's advice.
16. Accept offers of help and assistance with meals, cleaning etc. I tell father's to give moms one uninterrupted hour to herself each day. She can bathe, sleep, read, or anything that she wants for that hour. Daddy needs time to get to know baby too!
    
17. When you get home, set visiting hours and have each visitor bring groceries or food (they'll be thrilled to get what you need). And stay in your pajamas. Most people will be less likely to overstay their welcome.
18. Once "settled" in with the baby reach out to a Mother's group ( stroller club, baby sitting co-op, Mommy and me Gym or Yoga class), to get out of the house and receive and provide support to other new Mom's.
19. Give yourself a break. Sit at the bottom of the shower and cry if you need to every now and then, parenting is hard work. Learning to breastfeed is hard work and so is incorporating another member into your family. Sleep deprivation and shifting hormones will, in fact, make you feel crazy at times but it will get better. You will find your new norm. It's not all cute onesies and hair bows, it's more like poopy onesies and newborn rashes, and that's ok.
20. You're stronger than you think! Don't worry about what others might think. Enjoy every moment. Parenthood is a beautiful experience. Allow yourself grace & room to grow.

Do you have advice for new moms as well? If so let us know. We'll keep rolling out the advice.

For additional resources for mom visit our Healthy Mom&Baby website!

Originally posted on AWHONN Connections .

What's Your Secret? NightLight Doula

You wake up, the early morning sun seems promising outside your window. Your baby is placed in your arms, and you feel refreshed and rested.

What did your friend say at the park, about the sleepless nights of early parenthood? You think, curious.

She and her husband have been stressed out, madly in love with the new addition to their family, but a little overwhelmed with balancing care for their child, responsibilities, and their careers. They're finding it difficult to manage their time. Sleep, frankly, has become an oversight for them.

She'd asked you what your secret was to handling it all. "Without question," you said," NightLight Doula." That's what Paulette Butler, owner of NightLlight Doula offers: the peace of mind that new parents dream of.

A postpartum doula is a practice originating in ancient Greece. This custom granted parents assistance with the exhausting and overwhelming aspects of new parenthood, so that they could simply enjoy their love for each other and their newborn, while maintaining the quality of life they were accustomed to. Paulette believes in this concept so much that she studied the practice with DONA (Doulas of North America) and became a postpartum doula.

Paulette is a mother and grandmother who, though too modest to admit it, has seen it all when it comes to raising children. She offers overnight in-home doula services, respectfully catered to your parental style, that put your child in caring, experienced hands. She watches the newborn all night long and will lovingly bottle feed or bring you your baby for breastfeeding. Paulette will change and comfort baby back to sleep, while you and your partner enjoy the deep sleep you need and deserve. She's even willing to assist with household chores such as laundry.

When you tell your friends Nightlight Doula is your secret, you'll have an image in your mind of Paulette greeting you with her warm smile when you enter your nursery well-rested, and seeing her softly singing to your newborn, cradled in loving arms. Let Nightlight Doula provide you peace of mind.

Guest post by Tommy Scanlan Copy That Copywriting and Marketing