Doula Education Series – Doula 105

Doula Education Series – Part 5/5

Doula 105 – Postpartum

Postpartum is the ball that gets dropped in the cycle of conception, pregnancy, labor and birth. It is the longest part of the cycle yet it is neglected the most and needs the most preparation since it lasts a lifetime. I believe that since we have been removed from our tribes and villages where life was communal and connected, our fear of the unknown, which is birth, has taken over. We as a society, have lost the hands on preparation of coupling, conception nutrition,  pregnancy support, and a postpartum community that helps with rest, recovery, breastfeeding and new family support. This adoption by our family and peers is missed and we go into our next phase of life unprepared, uneducated and ill equipped to support ourselves and our new baby.

Ideally, postpartum should be looked at and prepared or planned for before conception.

Will we have the funds to support all that is needed? Do we have a community for hands on care? Do we have community programs that support with guidance and programs if needed? Do we have healthy family to support ideals in raising this baby? Do we also have family that can support us when changes in plans are necessary for a baby to thrive?

Since that is an ideal – and parents usually have no clue when it comes to postpartum, it should be talked about as early as the interview to plant a few seeds. Our families will also be better supported if every doula they interviewed mentioned postpartum preparedness. A pregnant brain needs to hear something over and over from many different sources to gather the importance or heed the message for good. Of course it is much different when the brain hears negative things which can take one time to cement an idea into their head.

Our words of wisdom and warning when it comes to postpartum, need to be shared with love, respect and understanding to the family’s circumstances.

Too much information, too fast, can lead to overwhelm and feelings of anxiety or panic.

Early education can start as early as before pregnancy, especially when it comes to mental health as many of those signs can begin in pregnancy and can be treated with tools or safe medication to deal with the issues at hand. It’s one of the reasons we have created a Pregnancy & Postpartum Mental Health Course with one of our area’s leading Postpartum experts to help start the mental health support early.

Some of the best training you can get as a birth doula is to train as a postpartum doula.

Postpartum doula training will give you have a broader view of how the parents need to be taken care of after their baby arrives. It will allow you to create a plan with your family and/or build on the previous worksheets we have provided for better detailed conversations. If the parents are recovering well,  both physically and mentally, the baby will be better able to regulate their nervous system while on their bodies and thrive. Lactation trainings will also help you as a doula even if the parent is planning on formula feeding.

Making a separate section for postpartum on your website will also help every family that finds it, whether you interview with them or not. Social media is another way to leave a trail of seeds for the importance of planning for postpartum early.

Plant the Postpartum seeds…

To learn more about the upcoming Doula Education Series or to sign up – Click here