what kind of postpartum support does a pregnant doula desire?

i am a postpartum doula asking other doulas what kind of help they had after giving birth.

recently, i asked  each doula in the roanoke doula collective about their births and what the 4^th trimester care looked like. it was a great way for me to get to know them a little better and we are all doulas which gave us special insight on this topic of postpartum care.

colleen had her first baby eleven weeks ago, so these questions were fresh on her mind and she was the first doula in the collective to get all her answers back to me! i will be sharing the interviews from the other doulas in the group in the following weeks. stay tuned for more insightful postpartum ideas.

colleen, what are some things you did to prepare for postpartum?

one thing i really wanted to make sure of was that i had help from my husband for a few weeks. i am so thankful he was able to take time off of work to spend with us and it really helped me during that time with my daughter. my midwife advised against using the stairs during the first few weeks so i had set up some stations in my house before my daughter was born to make sure we had what we needed wherever we were. you can never have enough burp cloths! also preparing with postpartum gear i needed (depends, multiple peri bottles, sitz bath herbs, ice pack pads, etc.) and gear to help with breastfeeding (heat/cool packs, nipple butter, nursing bras, water bottle, snacks, etc.). 

what was the best thing you did for yourself?

the number one thing i did – and i will shout this from the rooftops for every mom i ever meet – join a postpartum support group. every friday morning i go to a zoom meeting with a local group run by postpartum support va. i honestly think i would feel so much more alone and overwhelmed without other moms to talk to. 

what one piece of advice would you share with pregnant moms about preparing for the time after baby comes?

make sure you surround yourself with people you trust and feel supported by. i unfortunately don’t have my family nearby so i have spent lots of time on facetime with my family getting advice and sharing my daughter with them as she grows! if they were here i would have them here to support me in person!

if there was a wish list for postpartum support, what would you include?

i would wish for emotional support and empathy first and foremost! after that, i would wish for help with household things like meals, light cleaning, and laundry. anything to give me the opportunity to do what i need to do – take care of my baby and rest! 

connect with colleen. (540)-339-7576 mightymamasdoula@gmail.com

colleen is on a leave of absence until august 2021.

to read more on the topic of postpartum support, check out this blog on meal prep ideas.

photo credit: featured photo beth farnsworth

photo credit: meredith white