No matter how many books and websites you read or how prepared you feel, babies have their own special way of throwing you for a loop. From needing more breastfeeding support, to baby’s fussiness and indecipherable crying.
That’s where your postpartum doula can give it to you straight and help you navigate the most unexpected, unforgettable moments as a new parent
The surprise: Breastfeeding isn’t always easy. With support the doula does make it easier with her knowledgeable breastfeeding management tips, correcting latch on pain or building up your supply.
The surprise: You will bleed postpartum. Called lochia. It’s true you will have heavy bleeding the first days after the birth, it does tapper off quickly. After that, it changes to a discharge that can last up for a several weeks.
If you do too much besides caring for the baby, you can start heavy bleeding again.
Let your doula take care of things around the house.
The surprise: You won’t have time for anything else. Babies are 24/7 , even when baby sleeps it never feel as if you are “off the clock”, new parents feel like they are waiting for their newborn to wake-up again to feed. Why doulas are there, to take care of you and give you a hand.
The surprise: Most newborn clothes will go to waste. Dress baby in your favorite outfits everyday – by next week they will outgrow it. Your doula will organize the baby clothes to get the most out of what fits now, and when size 6 month old will fit.
The surprise: Newborns poops are noisy. Noisy explosive and messy. That is your breastfed babies poops! They are naturally loose, known to explode out of the diaper onto the baby’s back. Always carry an extra outfit
in your diaper bag. Your doula is a diapering expert teaching you how to diaper your baby.
The surprise: Going back to work is hard. It does feel unexpected the deeply complicated feelings about leaving your baby – just when its getting fun and your baby is responsive. Remember no one does it all and you should not try. Doing your best is a good enough parent. Hire help. You are resilient.
The surprise: You won’t always know what your crying baby wants. Your doula understands babies, and she teaches you to understand and read your babies feeding and sleeping cues, and how to comfort your crying baby.
The surprise: Baby might mix up night and day. Yes, its true, newborns sleep in short burst from 30 minutes to 4 hours. At seemly random times through out the day and night. Most infants take about 12 weeks to show day-night rhythms in the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.