They say it takes a village to raise a child, but that’s not quite true.
They need a healthy, thriving mother.
It takes a village to raise that mother.
Postpartum was once a time of rest and rejuvenation, healing and recovery, losing and finding yourself. This was navigated with others who have explored the terrain before you. Offering encouragement, help and nourishment. Years passed, families spanned across countries, friends went to work full time, and the importance of gentle transition was forgotten and replaced with the robust “bounce back” mentality. The village stopped showing up and the importance of complete healing was lost.
So what do you do when you want a holistic postpartum, but have no village and no idea where to start?
Enter the postpartum doula.
A Postpartum Doula’s role is to care for you, and ultimately your family as a whole to create a smooth transition and gentle postpartum that helps you feel revitalized and not depleted. A Postpartum Doula can help create village support for the modern postpartum and help heal the cracks in modern motherhood.
Services offered will vary between Doulas, though services generally include but are not limited to:
- Light household duties such as tidying, laundry and dishes.
- Meal prep including snacks
- Chest feeding support
- Space to process the birth story
- Assist in newborn care
- Assist with older siblings
- Education on perinatal mood disorders and overall healing and recovery from childbirth and matrescence.
So how do you decide? Here are some quick tips!
- Education and training
What trainings have they completed or any particular areas of interest do they focus on?
I personally am certified as a postpartum doula and as a postpartum nutrition professional as I believe food is power and incredibly healing. I also did additional trainings in pregnancy and infant loss, perinatal mood disorders, birth trauma and breastfeeding. - Services they offer
As previously mentioned, services will differ between Doulas. Some may offer services in addition to their Doula services, such as a lending library, baby equipment rentals or photography. Which services would you like to have access to? - Connection
Do you feel comfortable? Do you feel they have the resources necessary to support your family in the way you’re hoping? Many will offer free consultations to meet and see if there’s a connection. If you don’t feel a connection, it’s okay to say it’s not the right fit. After all, this time is all about your and your family!
Many doulas offer free consultations to see if it would be a good fit for everyone. Having a good fit is just as important to a doula as well. It’s easier for me to do my job if you feel at ease in my presence. You’re more likely to tell me if there’s concerns if you feel comfortable making me more effective care and support.
Remember, we were never meant to experience postpartum alone and the one great thing about modern motherhood, is that we have the ability to create our own village.
If you’re looking for a postpartum doula in Kelowna, let’s connect!
For more tips, check out Healing Motherhood on instgram
Healing Motherhood | Kelowna Postpartum Doula 