Postpartum Doulas Do That?
I’ve seen an Instagram hashtag that I love, #postpartumdoulasdothat. I get a question all the time: “Wow, you can help with that, too?” Often this comes from more seasoned moms who look back at their early months of motherhood and wish so badly that they’d been aware of postpartum doula support. As this type of help becomes more widely known, we doulas have an exciting opportunity to educate families on how exactly we can support them.
In a previous blog post titled “The Role of a Postpartum Doula”, I outlined the types of support I can provide to new families. As a doula, I provide informational, emotional, and practical support to new parents, and those are broad categories with lots of room for flexibility in terms of what your family needs. If you are considering postpartum doula support, I encourage you to think outside the box about what exactly your family needs, and I’d love to have a conversation about how that could look! To get the wheels turning, here are a few examples of less-traditional projects that I do.
Baby Registry Consults
Creating a baby registry can be a daunting task, especially for parents-to-be navigating through endless product options and conflicting advice. I can step in to offer personalized guidance tailored to a family's needs and lifestyle. We can talk about your family’s values and buying habits, discuss specifics about what products are most useful, what quantities are needed, and what items can be considered optional. Through my work with 70+ families, I have gathered a great deal of feedback about brand preferences and “must-have” products, and I’m happy to help guide you through figuring out how to best prepare for your baby’s arrival.
Newborn Photo Session Assistance
Newborn photography sessions are a cherished tradition for many families, but they can also be overwhelming, particularly for exhausted new parents. To make things easier, I can lend a helping hand before, during, and after the photo shoot. Examples of help include straightening up a room for photos, assisting with baby’s outfit and diaper changes (because why do diaper blowouts always happen at the least convenient moments?), offering the parents snacks and drinks to keep up their energy, soothing a fussy baby, and taking care of any running around to keep a healing new mom off her feet.
Coordinating a Nesting Party
The concept of a baby shower is very well-known, but have you heard of a nesting party? A nesting party is a wonderful way for close friends and family to come together to support new parents and help prepare their home for the arrival of the baby. Some common activities at a nesting party include preparing freezer meals and snacks, assembling baby gear, sterilizing bottles and pump parts, organizing pantry and household items, and setting up diaper changing stations. As a doula, I can help you coordinate a party in a way that feels most helpful to you by suggesting projects for participants, offering recipe ideas, and being present at the party to help guide the work. In addition to checking practical tasks off your to-do list, a nesting party fosters a sense of community among those closest to you.
Organizing Outgrown Baby Clothes
As babies grow at an astonishing rate, parents often find themselves overwhelmed by piles of outgrown baby clothes that no longer serve a purpose. I can help with organizing and creating a system for clothes, helping families streamline their baby's wardrobe. Additionally, I understand and respect that this process can be emotional for parents, and having an extra pair of hands can give you the space to feel all of those feelings while still completing the project. I understand that this process doesn’t just need to happen with baby clothes, and I’m happy to help with older kids’ rooms, too, as well as maternity clothes.
Selling Baby Gear
With each passing milestone, babies outgrow their gear, from bassinets to bouncers, leaving parents with the dilemma of what to do with these once-essential items. I can assist you in the process of selling gently used baby gear, whether through online marketplaces or local resale shops. By handling the logistics of listing, pricing, and coordinating transactions, I can alleviate the burden on parents and help you recoup some of the costs associated with raising a child.
While these are just a few examples of how I can help, this is certainly not an exhaustive list. The best feedback I can receive is that I’ve been so helpful, and that looks different for every family. The role of a postpartum doula extends beyond providing basic care and support to new parents. So, the next time you find yourself in need of support during the postpartum period, remember that #postpartumdoulasdothat and so much more.
About the Postpartum Doula
Kathleen Robbins provides in-person support to families in the St. Louis area, and virtual support to parents in any location. One of her favorite things about being a doula is that no two days are ever the same, in part because of the opportunity to be creative when working with families and offering help that perhaps they hadn’t considered. If you’d like to explore how Kathleen could support your family, reach out today!
