What does a postpartum doula do?

  • Practical support, such as light housework and home organization (laundry, surface cleaning, dishes, meal preparation, nursery set up, etc.)

  • Offers evidence-based knowledge of normal infant behavior, soothing newborns, infant feeding, and postpartum recovery expectations

  • Provides emotional support and active listening for parents and other family members

What is not in the scope of a postpartum doula?

  • Medical advice, diagnosis, prescriptions

  • Deep cleaning

  • Extended child care

Other ways I can offer support…

  • Attending newborn doctor visits with you.

  • Softening communication between other friends and family who want to help.

  • Helping pets get used to your newborn.

  • Being present at your baby/nesting shower to organize gifts and offer suggestions afterward about which baby gear might be helpful for your growing family’s needs.

  • Scheduling your postpartum visits to be best for your baby’s schedule, such as coming during their “witching hour” to relieve you or during the night.

  • Organizing and setting up baby’s nursery and breastfeeding/changing stations around the home.

My mission is to foster a smooth transition with your family, offering companionship while encouraging connection and compassion through the first weeks of life with a newborn.

My role as a postpartum doula is not to tell you how you should go about parenting!  My role is to support and empower your family to trust your own intuition as you care for your children.  As a postpartum doula, I can help by offering validation and knowledge, as well as by modeling the understanding that the best way to support a new family’s journey is by honoring the parents’ choices.

The Doula cares for the birthing parent and their family in the home in the first three months (known as the fourth trimester) following birth. She provides non-medical support and companionship, assists with newborn care and sibling adjustment, meal preparation, and household organization. The doula offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from childbirth and other issues related to the postpartum period, and can make referrals if necessary.

-DONA, The Role of the Doula

“Present health care practices and a lack of cultural rituals leave families virtually unsupported at this important time in their lives. There is a great deal of evidence suggesting that quality support can ease the transition that comes with the addition of a baby to the family. By educating; attending to the needs of the parents, infant and children; and by offering quality referral information, the postpartum doula can ease and enhance the postpartum experience. Every family can benefit from the support and encouragement offered by a doula during the fourth trimester.”

-DONA’s Postpartum Position Paper