The photo on this page is a day or two after I had given birth to Gabriel.  I was sleep deprived to the point of giddiness, my breasts were  engorged, my body was incredibly sore and slow moving, but I was having the time of my life.  Gabriel was a typical baby – he always wanted to be held and nursed around the clock.  I expected this, which helped immensely to my postpartum recovery.  But what really made my postpartum recovery AMAZING was my mother, who was my postpartum doula.

My mother showed up eight hours after his birth (we were home three hours after he was born) and quickly got to work.  My mother made sure we were fed, gave baby care advice when we asked, did light household chores & cleaning, and offered breastfeeding advice.  This support was invaluable to us, and my husband was noticeably calmer after she arrived.  Matt and I were able to focus on the truly important task at hand – caring for our new baby, allowing my body to heal, and transitioning from a family of two to three.

For us, my mother was a perfect fit for the role of postpartum doula.  She helped where I needed help instead of simply holding the baby.  She wasn’t overbearing but gave my family the space to figure some things out for ourselves.  Every new mother has a need to be mothered.   Understandably, your mother or mother-in-law may not be the best fit for a postpartum doula.  Enter the professional postpartum doula.

A professional postpartum doula will come to your home and tailor their work around your needs.  She has experience in childbirth so she can anticipate concerns and solutions.  She is a neutral party, unlike family and close friends, which makes her care unbiased.  Every woman deserves to have a postpartum doula.

For more information on postpartum doula services and book your due date contact me at lindsey@motherrisingbirth.com.