The postpartum period is full of surprises. Even families who feel well prepared often discover they need more support than they expected. This can either be because labor doesn’t go as planned, or there are health complications, or you have preexisting conditions that will mean sleep deprivation is especially important to avoid… and the list goes on.
We always tell parents that this time in life is challenging and requires a lot of support when there are no complications or special circumstances. But here are three signs it might be particularly essential to hire a postpartum doula to support your family. (This is the third post in a series, so the first six signs can be found in our most recent blog posts, You Know It’s Time to Hire A Postpartum Doula When… | Part 1: A Smoother Transition and You Know It’s Time to Hire a Postpartum Doula When… | Part 2: Roles and Relationships.
Sign #7. You’re Preparing for a C-Section and Want to Prioritize Recovery
When you learn you’ll likely be having a cesarean birth, postpartum planning becomes even more important.
A C-section is major surgery, and the more you overdo it in the early days if you’re not able to truly focus on rest and recovery, the longer it can take to heal and feel like yourself again. But caring for a newborn — and possibly other children — means resting and recovering is way easier said than done. Suddenly you’re recovering from surgery and you have more responsibilities than you did before surgery!
A postpartum doula can assist with newborn care, meals, household tasks and even some toddler entertainment during their daytime shifts, so that you can stay off your feet and focus on healing and bonding with your baby. (They can make sure you stay fed and hydrated as well as baby!) If desired, a second doula can come for overnight shifts so you don’t have to get up to do diaper changes or pace around with a fussy baby. Many families start with more frequency in the first month following surgery, and reduce shifts after that.
Sign #8. You’ll Be Returning to Work Within a Month or Two
Some parents know they’ll need to return to work six to eight weeks after birth, sometimes sooner if they work for themselves or own a business!
That timeline can make the postpartum period feel even more intense. You’re recovering from birth, caring for a newborn, adjusting to new routines, and preparing for the transition back to work all at once. And, you may be returning to work before night sleep has improved as much as you’d like, leading to more serious sleep deprivation when you can no longer catch up on sleep by napping during the day.
Postpartum doula support can help ensure you’re not completely depleted when that time comes. An overnight doula a few times per week can stave off sleep deprivation, and can even overlap with your return to work so that you know you can count on a few nights of more solid sleep. If you work from home, a daytime doula can help you with that transition, make you lunch while you take a break to feed your baby, or be there to care for your baby while you take a quick power nap if you have that flexibility. (Doula care is different than nanny services, but sometimes during that early transition they offer a comfort and continuity until you feel you’re ready to transition to a nanny!)
Sign #9. You Found Two (or More) Heartbeats!
Sometimes the biggest nudge to plan for adequate support comes during an ultrasound.
When the technician says they’ve found more than one heartbeat, many parents immediately start thinking about the logistics of caring for multiples. Twins and triplets bring double or triple the joy — and double or triple the newborn care, baby laundry,… and sometimes double or triple the interruptions to your sleep, at least for a while!
Postpartum doula support can be incredibly helpful for families expecting multiples, providing the extra hands needed to manage feeding, sleep, and daily routines during those early weeks. Parents also seek out doulas and newborn care specialists to help them learn strategies for synching the babies’ schedules, or feeding them simultaneously, or arranging the nursery and household to make physical tasks easier.
Other special circumstances that warrant hiring a postpartum doula for extra support might include being a single parent to a newborn or newborns, having a spouse with a high-demand job that may make them less available to support you (ie a partner that travels for work or works long hours out of the home), having a health or mental health condition that make consolidated sleep especially important for you, or even just being far from friends and family and wanting to add to your village a bit. Fill out our contact form if you’re interested in receiving more information about hiring a postpartum doula or newborn care specialist. We’ll send you a packet of info and a link to schedule a call. We’d love to help you find the perfect fit for your family!
