#Postpartum journey

[harmonyhealinghub]

The Unsung Heroes: Postpartum Doulas - Nurturing New Moms and Families

Shaina Tranquilino

December 11, 2023

Becoming a parent is an incredible journey filled with joy, love, and countless challenges. While the focus often revolves around the miracle of childbirth, we must not overlook the significance of postpartum care for both mothers and their families. In this blog post, we will explore the vital role of postpartum doulas, shedding light on who they are and what their invaluable support entails.

Who are Postpartum Doulas?

Postpartum doulas are trained professionals who provide physical, emotional, and informational assistance to new parents during the delicate post-birth period. They offer compassionate care to nurture not only mothers but also their entire family unit as they navigate through the early weeks or months after childbirth. These skilled individuals are equipped with expertise in breastfeeding support, newborn care education, maternal recovery guidance, and overall postpartum well-being.

The Role of Postpartum Doulas

1. Emotional Support: Postpartum doulas understand that every mother's experience is unique and may be accompanied by feelings of uncertainty, exhaustion, or even overwhelming joy. With empathetic listening skills and non-judgmental attitudes, these doulas create safe spaces where moms can express themselves freely without fear of being judged. Their unwavering emotional support eases anxiety and fosters confidence in parenting abilities.

2. Physical Assistance: The physical demands of caring for a newborn can be daunting for any parent. Postpartum doulas lend a helping hand by assisting with daily household chores such as meal preparation, laundry duties, and light cleaning tasks. By taking on these responsibilities, they alleviate some of the burdensome workload from new moms' shoulders so they can focus on self-care and bonding with their baby.

3. Breastfeeding Support: One significant area where postpartum doulas excel is in providing breastfeeding guidance. They possess extensive knowledge about lactation, positioning techniques, and troubleshooting common nursing challenges. By offering practical advice and reassurance, they empower mothers to establish a successful breastfeeding relationship with their infants.

4. Newborn Care Education: From swaddling techniques to diaper changing tips, postpartum doulas are a treasure trove of newborn care wisdom. They educate parents on the essentials of baby care such as sleep routines, soothing methods, and recognizing signs of infant distress or illness. Armed with this knowledge, new parents gain confidence in meeting their little one's needs effectively.

5. Advocacy and Information Sharing: Postpartum doulas act as bridges between families and the vast network of healthcare professionals and community resources available to them. They help navigate this complex landscape by connecting parents with reliable information related to pediatricians, support groups, mental health services for mothers experiencing postpartum mood disorders, or even local parent-baby activities.

In our society that often focuses solely on the prenatal journey and childbirth experience, we must acknowledge the significance of comprehensive postpartum care. Postpartum doulas play an invaluable role in supporting new moms during this transformative period by providing emotional stability, physical assistance, breastfeeding support, newborn care education, and acting as advocates for their well-being.

As we strive towards nurturing healthier families overall, it is crucial to recognize the incredible dedication of postpartum doulas who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Their unwavering commitment helps new parents transition into parenthood with grace and confidence while fostering a loving environment where both mom and baby can thrive.

With that being said, the journey of welcoming a new life into the world is filled with both joyous anticipation and immense love. However, sadly, not all pregnancies end in the expected celebration. For families who experience the devastating loss of their baby during pregnancy or labour and delivery, navigating through grief can be an overwhelming and isolating experience. In these trying times, postpartum doulas play a crucial role in providing compassionate support and helping bereaved families cope with their grief.

Understanding the Role of Postpartum Doulas: Postpartum doulas are skilled professionals trained to provide emotional, physical, and informational support to families during the postpartum period. Traditionally known for assisting new parents after childbirth, they have now extended their expertise to offer guidance specifically tailored to those experiencing perinatal loss.

Compassionate Emotional Support: Losing a baby is a deeply personal and heart-wrenching experience that often leaves parents feeling isolated and emotionally shattered. Postpartum doulas who specialize in supporting families dealing with perinatal loss understand the unique needs of grieving parents. They possess remarkable empathy and compassion, creating a safe space where families can openly express their emotions without fear of judgment or misunderstanding.

These doulas offer active listening skills, allowing parents to share their stories, memories, hopes, and fears surrounding their lost child. By offering non-judgmental companionship through active mourning rituals such as holding ceremonies or participating in memory-building activities like journaling or creating keepsakes, postpartum doulas help parents process their emotions while honouring their baby's memory.

Physical Care and Recovery Support: In addition to emotional support, postpartum doulas also assist bereaved parents in managing physical aspects related to pregnancy loss. These may include helping mothers recover from labour, providing guidance on self-care practices and nutrition, or assisting with practical tasks such as meal planning, household chores, or arranging for support from family and friends.

Navigating the Complexities of Grief: Grief is a complex journey that affects individuals differently. Postpartum doulas who specialize in perinatal loss possess an understanding of grief's unique dynamics and can help families navigate its complexities. They provide vital resources and information about various grieving processes, counselling services, support groups, and other bereavement resources tailored to the specific needs of each family.

Advocacy and Education: Postpartum doulas also play a crucial role in advocating for bereaved families within healthcare systems. They facilitate communication between parents and medical professionals, ensuring their concerns are understood and addressed sensitively. Additionally, they educate families about their rights, options for memorializing their baby, and assist them in making informed decisions regarding funeral arrangements or obtaining keepsakes like handprints or photographs.

The pain of losing a baby during pregnancy or childbirth is immeasurable, but no parent should have to face this heartbreak alone. During these challenging times, postpartum doulas specializing in perinatal loss offer invaluable support to grieving families by fostering understanding, empathy, and compassion. By acknowledging the significance of their experience, these doulas help parents honour their baby's memory while navigating through grief towards healing and hope.

[wellhealthhub]

Navigating the Remarkable Postpartum Journey: An Exhaustive and Insightful Guide

Embarking on the postpartum period, often hailed as the “fourth trimester,” propels individuals into a profoundly transformative and multifaceted chapter following childbirth. This epoch is awash with a cascade of physical, emotional, and psychological shifts, both for the nascent parent and the newborn. Amidst the undeniable exuberance of nurturing a new life, the postpartum journey unfurls with…

[inspoxjournal]

A little bit about this page ✨️

I'm a 30 year old mum of 2. My 2nd is only 4 months old.

I turned 30 last August and lately I'm feeling kind of old and like my life is a little bit of a mess right now. But I'm on maternity leave untill September and I have some personal goals that I want to reach by then.

Absolutly love the glow up mindset and I'm so ready to better my everyday life!

Before I had my kids I was skinny tall and girly. Loved getting my hair and makeup done, always had nice clothes on and you know I was your typical 20 something girl enjoying my life 😊

I always wanted to have kids and I love beeing a mum. But since I had my kids my focus shifted and for a while I completly merged with mum aspect of my life. And when I turned 30 it felt like I'm never gonna be that carefree young girl again. Witch is ridiculus 30 is not old and life dosen't stop after you have kids!

This is about finding myself again 🌻

Hop on!

m-aca is my main tumblr (the one I had since I was 16 😅)

[mind-spirit-body]

11/1/24

5 months postpartum

Start weight: 239.3

November Goal #1: 235

November Goal #2: 230

End Goal: 200

Stretch Goal: 180

When I ended off last year, I got down to a low of 210 lbs before getting pregnant. The point of the weight loss was not only to get healthier, stronger, and build confidence, but to also be healthy enough to carry a baby. My husband and I had been married for almost 2 years and we had been trying for a little over a year. I had issues with my monthly cycle and had been off birth control for over a year. About 2 or 3 months after quitting my birth control that I had been on for almost 12 years, my cycle just stopped. For reference, I got off birth control in August 2022, had a period for September and October, and then completely stopped in November. I didn't have a period from November 2022 to April 2023. I had to go to the OB/GYN to take medication to jumpstart my period. At that time, I knew I needed to make a change for good.

I started my weight loss journey again in May 2023 because I thought my weight, eating habits, and exercise were part of the reason behind my irregular cycle. That was when I dropped down from almost 270 to 210 between May 2023 and October 2023. I was consistently losing about 10 pounds each month through monitoring my eating, exercising, drinking plenty of water, and it didn't hurt that my husband was on board with me (he went from 315 to 260 during this time too). The biggest thing was cooking more homemade meals that were high in protein.

Then I finally got pregnant in October 2023. Of course, I gained weight back (so did my husband) and we're starting back again albeit not as high as we were in the beginning. I had my little nugget in May 2024. He was almost a month early but completely healthy and a good weight. Now, my goal is to get back down to the weight I was back in October of 2023 and then lose 20-30 lbs beyond that in preparation for baby #2.

Here's to starting the journey again!

[sincerelysatanherself]

FINALLY… I officially weigh less than I did when I found out I was pregnant.

what. a. journey. and still not over.

[familythings]

Bonding After C-Section: Essential Tips for New Moms

A good friend of mine gave birth two days ago via cesarean delivery. It is her first baby, and she enriched the world with a beautiful princess. When I talked to her to congratulate her on the baby’s birth, she told me she was a bit anxious due to all the issues a cesarean delivery brings with it. So, as a mother who had my diamond via cesarean as well, I thought to help her with some practical…

[veggievoyage]

Dinner tonight was some really delicious cauliflower. 4 pounds down

[healthyboom]

A Comprehensive Guide to Health Benefits

Health benefits encompass a spectrum of advantages that individuals attain by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and making informed choices. These encompass physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Physical health benefits include increased longevity, reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, and enhanced immune function. Regular exercise improves cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength. Mental health benefits encompass reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, along with improved cognitive function and emotional resilience. A balanced diet provides essential nutrients that support overall health. Emotional health benefits stem from social connections and meaningful relationships. Collectively, these health benefits empower individuals to lead fulfilling lives with vitality and happiness.

[wellhealthhub]

Comprehending the Nuances of the Postpartum Phase

The postpartum period, often regarded as a pivotal phase following childbirth, encapsulates a realm of intricate adjustments that encompass not only the physical realm but also the profound emotional and lifestyle shifts as individuals transition into the uncharted waters of parenthood. Unveiling the Essence of Postpartum The term “postpartum” unravels the temporal sphere immediately succeeding…

[lavenderchub]

Retire, you look wven more like shit now

I wasn’t going to say anything but this comment is so unnecessarily mean. You are also a complete coward for saying this anonymously.

I’m obviously a woman who is healing from having a baby and still trying to feel sexy. I started posting as a journey of self love. I discovered feederism and it really unlocked a part of my sexuality that I thoroughly enjoy. I didn’t want having a baby and being postpartum to stop me from interacting with a fetish and fetish community that has brought a lot of fun and fulfillment.

Postpartum bodies are not for everyone and that’s okay, but you don’t have to be cruel.

[paleflower]

I'm still enraged every time I see a first time mother seek help on her breastfeeding journey and people only respond with "it's fine, just give him/her formula"

Yes of course it's fine. I've done it too. I was combo-feeding for as long as I could and at one point completely switched to formula, because my baby refused to nurse and my body just couldn't keep producing like that. It hurt a lot. Not physically, but mentally.

Why do people not advise to seek out a lactation consultant? Why does noone advise to get baby checked out for a possible lip-tie or tongue-tie? Why is it not fu€&(?# mandatory to check babies at birth for a lip/tongue/cheek-tie?

If science says 97% of women are able to breastfeed (even in poor countries) then why does the breastfeeding rate drop from over 90% of breastfeeding mothers to less than 30% after the first three month in my country? Something does not add up.

So please stop saying "just give formula, it's okay". Yes it's okay. We all know it's okay. Noone ever blamed me when they saw me feeding my baby like that. But if you don't have any tips to give, maybe just shut up instead?

[bodylove-mamas]

Strengthen Your Body After Pregnancy with Postnatal Pilates

Postnatal Pilates is a low-impact exercise program designed specifically for new mothers to help them recover and strengthen their bodies after giving birth. With a focus on core stability, pelvic floor health, and overall muscle tone, this form of exercise can help you regain your pre-pregnancy strength, reduce postpartum discomfort, and improve your overall well-being. Whether you are a new mom looking to get back in shape or simply looking for a safe and effective way to exercise after pregnancy, Postnatal Pilates can be a great option for you. Start your postpartum fitness journey today with Postnatal Pilates.

[stephaniepriscillart]

Puerperal (postpartum) 🫀 it’s my birthday today! Dedicate this birthday for my postpartum journey. A reminder to always be kinder to your body ✨

[pritiblog1992]

Brushing Teeth During The postpartum Month

Pregnancy hormonal changes commonly cause dental issues, and increase plaque formation, gum inflammation, and bleeding. This is called pregnancy gingivitis. ~75% of women experience this. 🪥Brush, and floss religiously, avoid sugary drinks, Avoid mouthwashes with alcohol, and don't miss your dental appointments Take good care of your teeth, you will need them for a long time to come😂 🛑If you go to the dentist during your pregnancy let them know you are pregnant. Most dental treatments are safe. But if you need fillings or an x-ray, your dentist might prefer to wait until the baby is born.