Tag Archive for: postpartum doula

We know that bringing your newest family member home can be exciting and challenging, even if you prepare for baby’s arrival with childbirth education classes and prenatal support. Our trained and certified postpartum doulas help you with a smooth and manageable transition as you welcome a new member to your family. Through a combination of daytime, evening, and overnight shifts, we are here to support your family’s unique needs. Here are the ways we offer practical, informational, and emotional support at home, when you need it. 

A postpartum doula’s practical support helps you take care of baby, yourself, and your family. 

Many times, people come to us looking for practical support when baby comes home. This can include feeding, caring for baby so you can attend to your needs, or helping prepare meals. During an overnight shift, a postpartum doula might put baby to bed, change diapers, and settle baby back to sleep. During a day shift, our support might allow you to take a shower, cook a meal, or breastfeed in peace. As helpful as the practical support is, many families express deep appreciation for the information and hands-on teaching their doula provided during the postpartum adjustment.

We provide information so you understand the 4th trimester. 

The first weeks and months after baby is born are often called the “4th trimester”, and many parents have just as many questions about what to expect as they did during pregnancy (if not more!). Postpartum doulas can do many specific tasks around the house, but many clients report that our value comes from being childbirth and newborn experts. We provide feeding guidance, offer soothing techniques, answer questions about postpartum and newborn health, and information on sleep habits. 

In the morning after a recent overnight shift, our doula talked to one partner about how the night went, and how to get baby sleeping for longer stretches. She offered advice such as creating sleep associations, keeping baby awake during the day for developmentally appropriate stretches, and nursing demands during the day. We are here to provide the support you want, but your doula will also work with you and your family to create the household, feeding, and sleep routines that work for you so that we are no longer needed! 

Emotional support from a postpartum doula helps your family grow and adjust with confidence. 

In general, our postpartum doulas provide fifty hours of in-person support during the baby’s first five weeks at home. These can be split between daytime, evening, and overnight shifts. However, our job as postpartum doulas is to create a smooth transition and give you and your family the skills and knowledge needed to manage the addition of baby. 

For example, during one daytime shift, our doula spoke to one partner about returning to work. He was looking forward to it, but felt guilty about leaving his partner with the new baby at home. Our doula talked about ways to continue contributing and how he could alternate bedtime duties. We are here to provide steadfast, non-judgemental support so you can feel confident about welcoming a new child into your family. 

Learn more about our postpartum doula offerings or contact DOB today!

Here come the winter holidays! So you observe a gift-giving tradition? Therefore, you’ve likely felt moments of confusion and panic over what to give your loved ones. And if you’re expecting, may not know how to answer the questions from those who love you about what you’d like this year. However, if you’ve recently had a baby shower, you might feel like presents are more than you need right now. And if you would like to give holiday gifts to the new parent on your loved ones list, you may think there’s nothing left that they need. But fear not! In the seasonal spirit of giving, Doulas of Baltimore is here to give you a list of perfect solutions to your dilemma.

Ideas to consider skipping

First, we will clear some potential ideas for holiday gifts for new parents off your list. New parents are frequently short on sleep and patience. As a result, they do not appreciate toys that make loud or repetitive noises, so avoid those! While newborn clothing is easy to shop for and seems downright irresistible, chances are good that parents of infants have an ample supply already of these tiny wardrobe builders. And newborns outgrow them in a matter of weeks. For practical purposes, you can also skip over infant snow suits. And while infant sleep positioners may look like a useful and valued gift, the evidence says that many of them are unsafe and as a result should be avoided.

What’s left, then? So much good stuff! We present to you some items and services that make great holiday gifts every new parent is likely to use and value.

Holiday gifts for new parents that do make the list!

Modern diaper bag

First off, parents know that diaper bags are essential, and good ones are worth their weight in holiday gold. This backpack from TwelveLittle is packed with features and comes in style-forward unisex colors, and even has a tech pocket for a laptop for multitasking parents.

Versatile baby carrier

A good baby carrier is a must for families! Because whether you’re on the go or getting things done around home, a carrier makes all the difference. This one from Baby Tula has an innovative design that allows parents to carry baby either front or back of the body. You’ll love the quick-adjusting straps for multiple wearers. And this carrier grows with your little one. Use it up to 45 pounds!

Infant sleep monitor

Anyone who’s ever heard anyone talk about life with newborns knows that good sleep is everything. The Owlet is an ingenius baby sleep monitor that parents have raved over. It is a far cry from anything parents of previous generations could have imagined. Check it out here: Owlet.

Simple white noise machine

Since good sleep is always a priority for new parents, white noise machines have been increasingly popular. Families love them for their sleep-assisting properties. And this one from HoMedics is a solid, affordable choice, perfect for families traveling over the holidays. 

Lasting, quality clothing

If, above all, you cannot resist the allure of buying clothing for that adorable baby, look for high-quality design and comfortable fabrics. Also buy in larger sizes that they can grow into. Therefore, check out Hanna Andersson which is a Swedish company that uses organic cotton in many of its products. They design their clothing in European sizing that allows for growth. If you buy a size 70 now would mean baby could wear the clothing next spring and summer. 

Toy subscription box

Since it takes some research off their plate, busy parents appreciate a subscription box arriving at the door with no planning or errand running involved. LovEvery provides kits packed with developmentally sound toys and products for growing babies, and the kits are backed by a line-up of impressive endorsements  

Best support money can buy

Another winning option for holiday gifts every new parent could use is a package of in-home postpartum doula services. A postpartum doula provides a range of services to help ease families into a happy and healthy new life together. Whether lending a hand to set up the nursery or sharing expertise for childbirth recovery, your doula is there for you! From infant feeding and sleep habits to assistance with older sibling care and light household tasks – our team of postpartum professionals and newborn care specialists from Doulas of Baltimore is here to help. To make it easy, we provide gift certificates for family and friends to purchase. Add it to your baby registry or holiday wishlist!

Happy shopping, and happy holidays!

 

As winter approaches the team at Doulas of Baltimore prepares. Snow tires? Check! Snow boots? Check! Ice scraper? Check!

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