Nurture.

A postpartum doula nurtures the family with a loving heart and hands and meets them where they are, offering them non-judgmental support.

Tell me, how has your day been so far? Give me the good, the bad and the ugly!

Fantastic! That is so awesome that you geared yourself and baby up and took a walk to the post office. What a victory!

Hey Dad, how great that you put the baby carrier on and walked around the house to soothe baby in her fussy time. Excellent!

Assess.

A postpartum doula is constantly assessing the environment in order to assist the family.

How about we put a basket of ready-to-go snacks and board books right near the couch so that when you nurse, your toddler can look forward to that time too!

What do you think about leaving some sticky notes around so anyone who comes over to “help” will know exactly what to do?

Educate.

A postpartum doula educates the family by modeling behavior, observing and offering opinions.

Learn through asking questions:

How do I get this moby wrap around my body, and then get my baby in?!

Do I put the aquaphor on after I nurse or before?

Where can I find a mom’s group?

Refer.

A postpartum doula provides resources and referrals to families, and assists them to develop the skills to seek out resources and referrals.

The public library is such a great place to connect with other moms/new parents! Let’s take a look at what is offered locally.

This is a great question to ask your midwife/ob-gyn, why don’t I hold baby and you can put in the call.

Let me give you this lactation consultant’s name and contact info. She could definitely help you out with this issue.