The Value of a Postpartum Doula

Being pregnant, becoming a mother and giving birth to a child is an exciting and emotional time for the new mother, partner and family. In western worlds cultures those families have typical less postpartum support available to them than in the past, hence it is becoming more and more vital that doulas offer postpartum support.

Why is postpartum support so valuable for mothers?

Women in the western world culture often only have a short stay in the hospital often shortened due to cost driving factors. This does not allow them for sufficient social and postpartum support. Having postpartum support beyond the hospital stay affects the whole postpartum period for the entire family. A report from the Perinatal Education Department of Indiana Hospital-Pennsylvania found out that new mothers need the most social support in the following areas: emotional support, social network support, esteem support, tangible support, and information support. These areas are the core areas a doula can help with: parenting coaching, lactation education, baby care support, providing postpartum information and helping with light household chores. This valuable support can be provided by a doula when family and friends are unavailable, or unwilling, to provide this non-judgmental, active support. Additionally, when reading the evidence-based research found through DONA’s website, their research also show that women who have this support have “fewer instance of depression, better success with breastfeeding, and better self-confidence”. A Doula does not, however, make decisions for the family, speak to the medical caregivers for them, or perform any medical procedures.

Why is postpartum support so valuable for infants?

Various studies have shown that helping parents to bond with infants will allow for more quality and quantity care from parents. This will in turn prompt a better child development. A suggestion in this area a doula can make is kangaroo care, skin-to-skin contact, between parent and child. Encouraging parents to explore this kind of child care, and perhaps modeling kangaroo care, is another example of valuable postpartum support doulas can offer. Why is postpartum support so valuable for partners? According to the largest-non-religious-new-dad network, Boot Camp for New Dads, many partners often feel they lack the skills necessary for successful parenting. True postpartum support will show the partner ways he or she can concretely help: by sharing in the wonder of the new baby and the development of the newborn; by preparing nutritious meals; by running a warm bath for mother and using the time to practice kangaroo care with the infant. These partners often have questions but no one to ask them of. True postpartum support recognizes the partners’ need for more information and modeling of comforting skills and options. For many partners, this postpartum support can cause the postpartum experience to be less frustrating and more rewarding.

Conclusion

Postpartum support is invaluable for the entire family. In addition to supporting individual members of the family as outlined, the family is supported by referring them to other sources of information. Postpartum support is most valuable because it helps families to identify tools for success, as well as where to look for future information when the postpartum period has past. While the western cultures have not supported postpartum families well, caring doulas are working to change this by providing valuable postpartum support.