What is a postpartum doula?

Postpartum doulas are trained to assist parents in their own home through evidence-based education and information as well as general support during the first weeks after the birth of a baby. A postpartum doula’s main role is to “mother the mother” by helping her through the postpartum time (the fourth trimester) and to nurture the new family to encourage bonding with the baby and identifying new roles. Sometimes this means teaching the parents or siblings about baby care, providing breastfeeding and bottle feeding support, doing light housework so the family can concentrate on bonding, being a companion to the mother, helping with light meals and snacks so the family is well-nourished, assisting older siblings, running errands, or taking over some baby care while the parents nap or shower.

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What will a postpartum doula not do?

Perform any medical tasks or in-depth housekeeping, care for a baby or children without the parents being present, make decisions for the parents, or project personal beliefs on the (birth and postpartum) experience of the family.

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How can overnight assistance help me if I’m planning to breastfeed and will be awake anyway? 
Any family can benefit from overnight services, not just families with multiples. For first time mothers, or experienced mothers who have other children, it is hard to function during the day when you haven’t had a good night’s sleep. A postpartum doula can assist at night so you are more comfortable with the initial feeding needs, especially in the case of multiples. By helping you relax, you can get through a feeding session more smoothly and go back to sleep allowing the doula to take over the nighttime care and soothe your newborn back to sleep.

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When should I hire a postpartum doula?

Ideally, it is best to hire a postpartum doula before your baby arrives. However, sometimes parents choose to wait until after the baby has been born and they decide they would benefit from the services of a postpartum doula. I am not currently part of an agency, and scheduling is done on a first-come basis.

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How long will you provide care as a postpartum doula?

This is based solely on the needs of the family. Generally it is a minimum of three weeks to a maximum of sixteen weeks (for premature babies or multiples).

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What areas do you serve?
Los Alamos, White Rock, Espanola, Pojoaque, Santa Fe