We often hear from families, during their consultation calls with our doula agency, that they’re uncertain whether day shifts or overnights with a postpartum doula are a better fit for them.
Some opt for a combination, such as two or three day shifts per week and three to four overnights per week. But it’s worth learning about some significant differences between a day shift and a night shift, to help you ensure you’re getting the type of support that best meets your family’s needs. In this post we highlight some of the specific benefits of daytime doula support. (In part 2, we’ll outline what benefits you can expect from hiring a doula for overnights!)
Is your priority for doula support primarily as a resource for information, guidance, companionship and emotional support?
While daytime and overnight doulas can provide all of the above, sometimes having at least some of the shifts happen during the day will allow for more of this emphasis. Of course doulas will answer whatever questions you have during an overnight shift and stay and chat with you as much as you need. But often the temptation for parents is to use the time to get as much rest as possible, which doesn’t always lend itself to using the support in the ways listed here. That said, if you really want both (the rest and the benefits listed here), you can either do a combination of day shifts and overnights. Or, you can ensure that your overnight shifts are long enough to connect with the doula at the beginning and/or end of a shift (say, a nine or ten hour shift, instead of eight).
Is your priority for doula support meal preparation, extra hands to keep the place organized, maybe some help with a sibling’s transition?
Daytime doula support is excellent for things like this. Your doula can be an extra set of hands. They can hold the baby while you spend time with another child, or they can tend to the kitchen while you feed the baby or take a nap. They can prepare meals or make one-handed snacks for you to access all week, or do some dishes, and stay on top of laundry.
Do you anticipate difficulties with your breastfeeding goals?
Some new parents are concerned, for any number of reasons, that breastfeeding will be especially challenging. This could be based on past experience, or a medical issue. While the help of a lactation consultant is likely critical in these situations, what those providers don’t offer is the longer and more frequent shifts of a daytime doula. The regular, ongoing presence of a postpartum doula with training in lactation and infant feeding can ease the difficulties, and provide you with tips and insights along the way. They can help you implement what your lactation consultant advised, and troubleshoot when it doesn’t seem to be going as anticipated. Not only that, if your journey is made more complicated by pumping or even triple feeding, the extra set of hands to stay on top of cleaning bottles and pump parts goes a long way to reducing your stress and overwhelm!
Does your spouse have limited time off work?
If the mother or primary parent who will be home with the baby has a partner who is returning to work early on (in the first one to three weeks), this may feel pretty soon to have to rely less on a partner’s support. If the partner works long hours out of the home, and there’s a lack of other local support, days alone with the baby can feel very long. (Keep in mind newborns don’t have a predictable napping schedule, and so knowing when your next break will come from – and whether it will be ninety minutes or eleven! – can be both mentally and physically exhausting). Having a postpartum doula come for four to six hours during the day, a few days each week, can get you those guaranteed breaks for a nap, an uninterrupted bath or shower, time to journal, exercise, or call a friend. While sleep is important, so is rest during the day, and opportunities to do things that make you feel like yourself again!
For a deeper discussion of days vs. nights – but also about how often and for how long to schedule a postpartum doula – we have a recurring free webinar, Planning Your Postpartum: Your Roadmap to Finding and Hiring the Right Help. The webinar also includes tips for finding the right doula for your family, and what to know before you sign a contract! It’s open to parents regardless of location, and is a great resource before you make any commitments. Hope to see you there!
In the meantime, stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, where we help you determine if an overnight doula is a better fit for your needs. And if you or someone you love is having a baby, reach out to us for support well in advance, in order to secure your preferred schedule and ideal doula match!
