Families who are supported have an easier time adjusting in the postpartum period, have greater breastfeeding/chestfeeding success, and feel more confident in their parenting.
 

What does a postpartum doula do?

A postpartum doula is there to support you with hands on help, emotional well being, and evidence-based knowledge sharing.

With people living further away from their families, the built-in networks of inter-generational families and neighbours raising babies together are less and less common. New parents are often left without a lot of day-to-day help or companionship. A postpartum doula can fill this gap and share the workload.
 

Day to Day

The exact roles of a postpartum doula may change family to family depending on their particular situation and needs. Overall one can expect help with:

• Basic baby care

• Support in all of the new skills: bathing, diapering, swaddling, and trimming tiny fingernails

• Help learning to understand your baby’s cues and patterns

• Feeding support whether at the breast, chest, and/or bottle

• Meal preparation, snacks and making sure parent(s) are well-nourished and hydrated

• Baby’s laundry, light cleaning + tidying

• Helping the family adapt to the changes that come along with a new baby

• Information + referrals to any relevant community resources 

• Someone to talk to without fear of judgment