A new mother sat in her living room with her baby boy a few days after giving birth.
She had prepared extensively leading up to her birth – she attended a childbirth class with her husband. She hired a birth doula to support her. She attended a breastfeeding support group to learn about feeding her baby. She had her music picked out for the birth, lined up her photographer, and packed all the special items she wanted to bring with her to the birth center.
Unfortunately, her labor didn’t go as planned.
Her baby remained sunny side up, also known as posterior, where the back of baby’s skull is in the back of the pelvis during labor causing excruciating back pain. The idea of laboring peacefully at home turned out to be anything but that.
And now, here she was with her days-old baby. Her milk had not yet come in.
Her baby was frantic and so was she. She had no clue what to do and no family around to turn to for guidance. Then she remembered a pamphlet for postpartum doula services she had grabbed at one of her classes. She recalled being surprised to learn that, in addition to birth doulas who help during labor, there were postpartum doulas who help after the baby arrives.
She called the owner of the postpartum doula service, and everything changed.
The doula helped this new mother learn how to comfort her baby, how to breastfeed, and how to rest and recover from a difficult birth. It was an experience that not only changed the trajectory of the mother’s experience with her newborn, but also changed the path of her career. She literally filed the doula’s information away and, when the time was right, planned to pursue a similar line of work.
That new mother was me more than 29 years ago. And now, two grown children later, I’m celebrating a 20-year career helping new mothers and babies.
Even after all these years, parents still say, “I had no idea this type of service existed. I wish I had known about you when mine were babies!” If you, too, are unfamiliar with postpartum services, search online for practitioners in your area. Trust me, it can make a world of difference to how you adjust to life with a newborn.
If you or anyone you know could use the support of a postpartum doula, reach out to First Daze and Nightzzz any time!
