Let’s face it…
being a new parent is an incredible experience, but it’s a huge learning curve that can be filled with sleepless nights, trouble adjusting, exhaustion, and lots of tears. Baby tears AND parent tears…
Caring for a newborn can be especially challenging when parents need to manage their own physical and emotional recovery after childbirth, especially if the birth went left. Maybe an 2-3 day induction that lead to cesarean. Maybe an assisted birth. Maybe the birth was textbook but you left the hospital, and your baby doesn’t seem to be content for anything, and you are unsure of what you’re doing wrong! This is where hiring a Postpartum Doula can be game-changing. Having the support and expertise of a doula can make a huge difference in parents' ability to function and handle the challenges of those first few weeks of early parenthood. Let’s explore how hiring a postpartum doula can help new parents get better sleep and improve their overall wellbeing.
What is a Postpartum Doula?
A Postpartum Doula is a trained professional who supports a family during the postpartum period, providing assistance with baby care, breastfeeding, emotional support, organization, education, resources, reassurance, and much more. Their goal is to help the family transition smoothly into parenthood, offering practical guidance and support as parents recover from the birth experience and learn how to adjust to life with a newborn. Hiring a Postpartum Doula can be an excellent decision for new parents who want to ensure that they have the best possible support plan in place during this critical time.
Overnight Postpartum Doula
One of the most significant benefits of hiring a Postpartum Doula is that many are trained to offer support during the often challenging overnight hours. Coming home with your new tiny human can feel like a shock to the system after having been supported 24/7 in the hospital for 2-4 days straight, and now the nurse call button you had access to is no longer an option. Having a trained professional to assist with postpartum recovery and overnight newborn care can help parents feel more confident, at ease, and less anxious about their baby's wellbeing as they get some much needed rest and rejuvenation.
You may have heard the terms Night Nurse, or Night Nanny. How do they differ from a professional Postpartum Doula? Well, there are many similarities but a few small differences. A Night Nanny is simply a caregiver for your children in the overnight hours. Night Nannies are there to assume childcare, and that’s about the extent of it. They may do some laundry or dishes related to the children, but they are not usually going to be trained and knowledgable in postpartum care. A Night Nurse is usually a licensed medical professional brought in to provide specialized care to a newborn that has been released from the NICU, or needs medical support around the clock. They are hired to support the medical needs of the newborn (and sometimes mother/parents) coming home from the hospital. RN’s, registered nurses, are usually the ones to perform this task… although many parents use this term incorrectly and apply it to anyone caring for baby overnight which is incorrect. The rates for a night nurse are normally 30% more than that of a Postpartum Doula due to their medical expertise. Not every family will need this high tech level of care. A Postpartum Doula is a trained expert in all things postpartum such as newborn education and care, but also they are trained in the unique nuances of the postpartum period and focus on ease of the parents’ postpartum transition and experience, birth recovery, tailored newborn and lactation education and resources, practical household support, as well as the physical/emotional health, and well-being of the entire family. Unfortunately these terms have been used interchangeably so many parents end up confused about who does what.
Newborn Care While You Sleep
When parents hire an overnight Postpartum Doula, they can rest assured that their baby is in good hands. A Doula can help with basic newborn care while parents sleep, including feeding, diapering, and soothing. Parents can choose to have a Doula with lactation knowledge to assist with the nighttime nursing or pumping, or they can choose uninterrupted sleep while their Doula assumes complete care of the baby, including bottle feeding whether by pumped milk, formula, or both (yes, you can feed your baby whatever way works best for you!) Getting adequate sleep is crucial for both physical and mental health, therefore having an overnight Doula can make a huge difference in how well parents can function during the daytime hours caring for their newborn.
Healing from Difficult Birth
Hiring a Postpartum Doula can also be beneficial for parents who are recovering from a long or difficult birth, especially after complications such as pre-eclampsia, and induction, or a cesarean section (emergency or planned), where recovery is prolonged significantly. A Doula can offer physical and emotional support, including help with breastfeeding, post-birth healing and nourishment, newborn education, as well practical help such as baby laundry, and nursery organization. With the support of a Doula, parents can focus on healing and rest without worrying about doing it all alone, when there is so much to be done.
Improving Postpartum Support
Not everyone is fortune enough to have family nearby, and it’s not likely we would ask (or that a friend would offer) to come stay up with our baby while we get some VERY much needed rest. Society is not set up to support new parents in the ways that we are meant to be supported through such challenging life transitions. They hand you your discharge papers and expect you to figure it out, with the next visit being six weeks away! This is simply not reasonable. And we are certainly not meant to do this alone, yet here we are. With the assistance of a Postpartum Doula, parents can feel much more supported, confident and capable as they navigate the challenges of life with a newborn.
Overall, hiring a Postpartum Doula is an excellent choice for new parents looking for an added layer of support during the sensitive postpartum period. Especially if the parents don’t have the benefit of their own parents/family living nearby. With the assistance of a Postpartum Doula, parents can feel more confident and less overwhelmed as they adjust to life with a newborn. Overall, investing in postpartum support is an investment in parents’, their babies, and their entire family's well being.
Are you in Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware, or New Jersey? Reach out to Northern Star Doula today, by clicking the button below, and let’s connect. We would love to support your family overnight.