There is an endless list of benefits to having support during the postpartum period. On the top of that list is hiring a postpartum doula. I realize I am slightly biased, but for good reason. A few benefits include:
Mother the mother - focused attention on the new mom means she has time to heal from childbirth, is well nourished and hydrated, and can bond with her new baby.
Light housework - so the new mom and partner can transition smoothly into their roles without having to worry about the laundry.
Feeding support, whether breast or bottle - breastfeeding can be very challenging for the new mom. Often women are surprised by the challenges that arise. While most postpartum doulas are not lactation specialists, they can assist and help mom get a good start so they feel confident moving forward.
Sleep - whether it’s a good nap while a trained professional cares for the baby or it’s help during the wee hours of the night, a postpartum doula can help.
Fixing a meal or two - some postpartum doulas offer to make a meal or their favorite breastfeeding cookies (partners can enjoy them, too).
Emotional support - being a new parent is hard work and a postpartum doula is there to support. They can problem solve and give advice to the best of their ability, but they can also give new parents resources if they need a therapist that specialize in the postpartum period. Moms that use a postpartum doula have lower rates of postpartum depression.
Up to date information on all things “baby” - this can include referrals, products, support groups, etc.
It is really difficult to keep that list short. One major thread that I came across in my research is the importance of community and connection. Many articles state that postpartum doulas have been around for a long time, but they have recently become more popular. While I think the statement is true, I don’t think it is the whole truth. Postpartum doulas have been around for a long time, but they haven’t been as needed because we, as a culture, have moved away from community living.
In one research article reasons include:
Cultural patterning of a distinct postpartum period
Protective measures designed to reflect the vulnerability of the new mother
Social seclusion
Mandated rest
Assistance in tasks from relatives and/or midwife
Social recognition of new social status through rituals, gifts or other means. A hypothesis is proposed that a relationship exists between postpartum social organization/mobilization and postpartum depression. The experience of 'depression' in the U.S. may represent a culture bound syndrome resulting from the lack of social structuring of the postpartum events, social recognition of the role transition for the new mother and instrumental support and aid for the new mother.
Connection, Community, & Well-being
Before having my own children I thought I knew what it would be like. As the daughter of a midwife, I had been around new moms and babies all my life. Always helping in ways that I could and always observing. Constantly taking in and craving information about motherhood. My mother was a home birth midwife in Northern California in the early 80s and I was the baby of the family, which meant that I accompanied my mom to prenatal visits, births, and postpartum visits. It was part of the culture and nobody was concerned that the midwife’s daughter was present and playing with their older children. I took it for granted that it took a community to support a mom after birth. Neighbors, family, and friends fed the new family nutritious food, supplied solicited (and unsolicited) advice, and took care of older siblings. This is what community is. I hadn’t heard of a postpartum doula until I started working as a birth doula and even then, I thought the idea was silly. I see now how wrong I was and why postpartum doulas are so important. As it got closer to having my first baby I started to think about my support network and who was going to bring us meals and help me get a nap. I had plenty of family in the area, but all their lives were, and still are, full and complicated. The saying, “It takes a village” is true, but what if we have lost the village?
An excerpt from Beth Berry, Revolution from Home, states it best:
In the absence of a village new moms and families experience:
Enormous pressure is put on parents as we try to make up for what entire communities used to provide.
Our priorities become distorted and unclear as we attempt to meet so many conflicting needs at once.
We feel less safe and more anxious without the known boundaries, expectations and support of a well-known group of people with whom to grow.
Depression and anxiety skyrocket, particularly during seasons of our lives when we instinctively know we need more support than ever but don’t have the energy to find it.
We feel disempowered by the many responsibilities and pressures we’re trying so hard to keep up with.
We spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need in an attempt to fill the voids we feel.
We rely heavily on social media for a sense of connection, which often leads us to feel even more isolated and inadequate.
We feel lonely and unseen, even when we’re surrounded by people.
Our partnerships are heavily burdened by the needs that used to be spread among communities, and our expectations of loved ones increase to unrealistic levels.
Life simply (or not so simply) moves at a faster pace and it takes more money and time to live the life we want. I realized I didn’t know even one of my neighbors and would have been mortified to ask them for a meal. I also had a syndrome called, “I-can-do-this-all-by-myself” and there isn’t a medication or quick fix. Time and experience was the best medicine and I found myself humbled. Deeply humbled. In the absence of the village, I am here doing what I can. I am grateful that I can offer my support to new families. They humble me everyday.
References
http://revolutionfromhome.com/2016/04/absence-village-mothers-struggle/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4979262/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3518627/
http://redtri.com/portland/portland-moms-groups-mothers-clubs-2/
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2217/17455057.3.4.487
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07399330802089149
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6623110
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227631265_The_Cultural_Mediation_of_Postpartum_Depression
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0277953683904082