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Follow up to night doula article from Mothering online
Filed under: Your Pregnancy
I recently posted a link to an article on mothering.com about night doulas, and whether or not
they compromise the bond between mother and child. A response to that article, written by a doula, furthers the
discussion on this issue. I thought it was great that the first article made the author of the second one think about
this, as she states, because that is what it made me do as well. Some new points the second article brings up:
- Night doulas may be the only source of breastfeeding support for some moms, and support is crucial in continuing the breastfeeding if a mom is struggling.
- If a doula knows her stuff and supports the family and teaches them, the bond shouldn't be compromised.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-15-2006 @ 10:16AM
mamaloo said...I've never heard the term "Night Doula" except here. They are generally referred to as Post Partum Doulas, because they assist in the post partum period.
I second that the PP Doula's most important job is as a help and educator to the new mom with regards to breastfeeding and other new mom tasks such as cord care and bathing a newborn. They also provide sibling care, companionship, newborn care so that mum can get a bite to eat or a shower and perhaps a little light housework.
All of those things are built into a doula's contract with her clients. Most doulas offer a few hours of post partum care to be used as the client wishes and some doulas provide post partum care independant of the labour and birth care.
In the immediate post partum period, every new mum experiences some difficulty. Some of us adjust to our new lives and the needs of newborns more easily than others. Some of us need more guidance. Some of us need more positive reinforcement that all the little things we do are the right things. A post partum doula's job is to ease that transition, to be a sorce of wisdom and loving guidance, to help a new mum learn to hear her own mother voice.
I think no small part of this is guidance around breastfeeding issues. I know that in my town, breastfeeding education is free for the asking, but in most places, it must be bought. Doulas form part of that network or educators.
I doubt a Doula would put herself in a position to be a mother substitute and interfere in any way with the bonding between a new mum and her baby. It's just not what the aim of a Doula is. A good Doula who found herself in that position would no doubt help her client to be self sufficient in caring for her newborn.
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3-15-2006 @ 11:47AM
mamaloo said...http://www.dona.org/publications/position_paper_postpartum.php
Just thought I'd give you this link to the DONA position paper on Post Partum Doulas. DONA is the world's leading international Doula association which provides doula certification, professional development, support and promotes the role of the doula to the public.
And, in the interest of full disclosure, I've just begun working toward my Doula certification for both Birth Doula and Post Partum Doula.
Reply
3-15-2006 @ 12:06PM
Amanda said...I know of no doulas where I lived when I had my first child. A sweet lady who I barely knew helped me tremendously though. She is a colleague of my husband's wife, and a NICU nurse. When my daughter wouldn't nurse, I called her, and she came over and spent 48 hours helping us get the hang of it. She put me to bed, brought me water, made sure I ate, and took care of my daughter through the night. I would never have survived the first week without her. It only enhanced our bonding by taking off loads of stress!
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