4 Ways Doulas Support Postpartum Recovery

Mothers and birthing parents deserve to be mothered. Particularly in the first days of new parenthood. It starts with caring for the postpartum body.

It can be a vulnerable time post childbirth where the body is open, more susceptible to illness, and returning to its pre-pregnancy form. No matter what the birth looked like, each new mother or birthing parent undergoes substantial recovery, and an under-prioritised recovery can impact a postpartum parents long-term health. Essentially, the body needs lots of care in the first days of postpartum and ultimately someone to offer that care.

Here are 4 key things the postpartum body needs, and 4 ways doula support can offer that.

Warmth

It’s understood across many cultures that childbirth opens up the body, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually, making the body vulnerable to external energies. It’s also understood that warmth and heat can gently hold the body together, supporting circulation, and aiding recovery. This can look like maintaining a warm environment and consuming warm foods and beverages.

By inviting warmth into the postpartum period, you are inviting a physiological approach to your postpartum recovery and gently encouraging your body to heal.

Should you hire a postnatal doula, keeping you warm will be a top priority. They can help create the appropriate environment and space for warmth, and during their visit they can offer foods and beverages that have warming properties.

Nourishment

The postpartum body is recovering from a monumental shift following childbirth; it will need energy and vitality in order to aid this recovery. Never has it been more important to maintain a nutrient-dense, balanced diet than in the postpartum period. A diet full of complex carbs, fibre, healthy fats and protein, plus hydration can ensure the postpartum body can begin to take healthy shape as it transitions back into its pre-pregnancy form.

By prioritising nourishment in the postpartum period, you are prioritising your long-term health by giving your body essential nutrients for recovery and vitality.

Should you hire a postnatal doula, nourishment will be at the centre of their care. With each postnatal visit, your nourishment needs will be thoughtfully met by offering warming meals so that you can focus on being present with your new baby, ensuring your own recovery needs are not cast aside amidst the busyness of new parenthood.

Rest

Rest allows the body to heal, promoting emotional well-being, supporting breastfeeding, and creating adequate conditions for an easy recovery. It plays a crucial role in aiding the body's healing process and regaining strength. When rest is honoured, new mums and birthing parents can better care for themselves and their newborns, creating a positive postpartum experience.

By creating a restful postpartum experience, you are creating space for steady recovery by allowing your body to slow down and gently return to its pre-pregnancy form.

Should you hire a postnatal doula, they can create space for rest by lightening your parental load, either physically or emotionally, giving you permission to truly rest your postpartum body.

Social Support

Who will help out after the wave of visitors have passed? Some visitors may attend once to hold your baby and leave whilst some may show up consistently with offers that truly support your postpartum experience, such as help with household chores, hot meals, childcare, or just someone to hold the baby whilst you shower in peace. Can you identify these people ahead of time? Can you ask them for their support in postpartum?

Additionally, new parenthood comes with a lot of information regarding infant feeding, safe sleep, health checks, you name it. Having a strong social support can mean there are others who have had similar experiences and can support you as you navigate your own.

By seeking support from those around you, you are developing ways to feel cared for and nurtured by your village so you can focus your energy on looking after your new baby, as well as beginning to develop confidence as a new parent.

Should you hire a postnatal doula, they can offer you the social support needed to look after your baby in the early days of postpartum, offering you guidance and care, allowing you to feel supported and held as you navigate new parenthood.

Conclusion

Often, new parents begin to prioritise themselves less when a new baby arrives, and sometimes even others around them will do the same. Not because they matter less but because sadly, society fails to prioritise the needs of the postpartum mother or birthing parent. This in turn has an impact on the wellbeing of the postpartum mother or birthing parent, which can have long-term implications on their overall health and wellbeing. Postnatal doula care can ensure the wellbeing of the parents becomes a top priority, making sure that those looking after newborn babies are also being looked after themselves.

Are you about to become a postpartum parent? Check out our Postnatal Care service as well as The Full Doula Package and discover how The ReBirth Space can support you as walk into new parenthood.