Is it worth it?
It’s a question I ask myself often. Whether I am about to spend my time, money or energy on something, I want to know if what I am about to do is going to be beneficial to me in the long run. I almost always think it through, analyze, read reviews, ask questions and get opinions.
I think it is safe to say we all think this way. Most of us live full lives and don’t want to spend our time and money on things that we will later feel was wasteful.
So is having a postpartum doula REALLY worth it? Well, as a postpartum doula, I, of course, think the answer is YES!! But I would love to expand on this a bit more for you…
Envision this…
You have just spent the last 40 weeks carrying and nurturing your baby in your womb and have now completed the hard journey of labor and delivery. Maybe this is your first baby, or maybe you’ve lost count, but wherever this new bundle of joy falls in your family’s birth order, their arrival means it is time to figure out your family’s new normal.
And the cold hard truth is newborns require A LOT of time and energy.
If you are breastfeeding, you will be nursing your baby 8-12 times a day, and at least every 2 hours at night, which leaves very little sleep for yourself. And don’t forget, babies can be fussy and gassy and often don’t want to sleep when we want them to sleep.
And how about you? You just gave birth to your beautiful baby (you deserve a medal by the way!!) and you are probably still exhausted, maybe a bit depleted, and most likely a little (ok, a lot) sore.
And don’t get me started on the hormones (sigh).
Caring for your newborn can often feel like a full time job, leaving very little time for nurturing your body and for things that used to feel like a priority.
Are you supposed to juggle all of it on your own while also figuring out how to swaddle a screaming squirmy newborn? Nope! That is where someone like me, a postpartum doula, comes in.
When they said “it takes a village” they weren’t joking. We all need help and support in our lives, especially during the delicate transition of bringing a new baby into the family.
Whether it is support with breastfeeding or bottle feeding, help learning to swaddle or bathe baby, preparation of meals, getting into a new rhythm, help with pets, or giving you time to sleep, I can do all of that and much more. Everything is customized to your family’s needs and your goals and hopes for the postpartum period.
My goal when I come into your home is to allow you to heal, rest, and bond with your sweet new baby all the while having the peace of mind knowing everything else is being taken care of. The better cared for you are, the better cared for your baby will be. When you are taken care of after the birth of your baby, you will most likely heal quicker, get more rest, and feel more empowered overall as a mom - and from where I sit it doesn’t get much better than that!
As for my original question, is it worth it for you, your baby, and your family to get a postpartum doula? If you desire to have a smooth transition when baby arrives with support tailored to fit your needs, then yes, it is completely worth it.
Find out more about our Postpartum Doula, Cortney Thomas here!