About Doulas

POSTPARTUM DOULAS

Postpartum doulas help ease the transition and integration of a new baby into a family. The postpartum period is genearlly defined as the first three months after birth--the "fourth trimester". They fill an important gap in maternity care; once parents are home alone there are many questions about what to do, how to do it, and what is normal. Doulas provide perspacetive about the range of normal and what a family can expect.

Doulas offer non-judgemental support and help educate parents--they are knowledgable, but do not promote any one way or style of parenting. They use their knowldge and experience to foster parent's innate abilities and encourage them to develop their own parenting style.

photo by Debbie Baxter

Postpartum doulas have practical knowledge on newborn care, characteristics, and behavior. They are often found assisting with baby's first bath; they help with breastfeeding and can make sugggestions to overcome common challenges. Doulas can help the family stay well-nourished and organize the household to keep things as simple and easy as possible. They can also be an invalluable confidant and playmate for an older sibling. Doulas' skills encompass supporting the whole family, even as their primary aim is mothering the mother. Read more about how poastpatum doulas support dads.

Additionally, postpartum doulas help with the emotional adjustments of the family following birth. A doula is a profesional listener! She can help a woman or partner process the birth, their feeling about themselves, or the new baby. A doula provides peace of mind by being a safety net and a trusted person to call upon, confide in, or confer with. Postpartum doulas are a key factor in preventing and screening for postpartum mood disorders.

Postpartum support is associated with:

Superior outcomes in postpartum adjustment,
Increased breastfeeding success,
Greater self-confidence,
Less postpartum depression, and
Lower incidence of abuse (1)

1 Kelleher, Jacqueline, and Penny Simkin. "The Postpartum Doula's Role in Modern Maternity Care." c. 2002, DONA International.