My Doula Journey
My journey to become a postpartum doula began after leaving my corporate design job following the birth of my daughter. Having a baby during COVID without any family nearby was harder than I could have imagined. My saving grace was having a neighbor who had a baby two months after me and has since become a dear friend. While looking into potential options for a career change, I realized that my passion was to work with newborns in some capacity, and postpartum doula work became my focus.
The more I learn about the role of a postpartum doula, the more evident it becomes that most families do not have this vital, neutral, compassionate support. Being a parent, particularly a first-time parent, can be extremely isolating. Having a support person whose sole job is to care for you while you figure out your new life caring for a tiny human—who oddly comes with no instruction manual—should be a requirement. As we know, that is far from reality for most people.
When we look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it becomes even more clear to me that postpartum doula care should be viewed as a basic human right. Even the most basic of human physiological needs—primarily water, food and sleep—are difficult to come by as a new parent without some outside help. The doula can ensure that a family has access to healthy, easy-to-eat foods that will sustain them as they navigate the fourth trimester. They can provide parents with a much needed moment to rest so that they can provide, better, safer care for their children. They can encourage partners or other supporting people to help with meals, groceries, or even just in making sure the birthing or lactating parent always has fresh water to remain hydrated while caring for their baby.
Second on the list of needs is Safety, which includes resources and health. As a doula, our role is to provide education and resources for parents regarding typical newborn care and safety, and to share referrals for experts who can help where we cannot. It is also our role to assess families constantly, being aware of concerns for all family members who may require more in-depth assistance. This often circles back around to safety of the newborn, ensuring that anyone caring for or connecting with the baby knows how to keep them safe, and is being safely cared for themselves. Without the oversight of a caring doula, parents may be more likely to experience challenges such as postpartum depression or anxiety which could negatively impact their newborn child in both the present and the future.
The third need that is addressed by the postpartum doula is Love and Belonging. By being a source of focused care and attention for families, and providing resources specific to a family’s needs, the doula naturally encourages a sense of love and belonging for parents and children. Outside resources may include support groups to connect with parents experiencing similar postpartum challenges, LGBT care resources, POMS support, or even grief and loss support. For a family in need, these resources alone can remove or alleviate the feelings of isolation they may be feeling and allow them to find a community that will hold space for them in ways that the doula alone cannot.
In regard to Esteem and Self-Actualization, the goal of the postpartum doula is to nurture, educate, and to provide assessments and referrals for families so that they no longer need their doula’s support at the end of their time together. Once the doula leaves, families should feel confident in their ability to parent their child in a way that is sustainable for them for the duration of their parenting journey. Regardless of the unique path the doula and family walk together, the end goal of self-sufficiency and parental confidence is always the end goal.
As stated by Dr. John Kennell, “If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it.” Knowing that the role of a doula provides support that meets the basic needs of all humans, it is safe to say that having access to one should not be a privilege—as it currently is—but a right for all people who would like one to support their postpartum journey. Regardless of their status as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, cisgender, single, married, wealthy, poor, biological parents, adoptive parents, or anything in between, all families deserve to have a doula should they desire one. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to support families during their unique postpartum journeys, and I cannot wait to get started.