Put a Postpartum Doula on Your Baby Registery - A Cross Post
I wrote this blog post for my acupuncturist after she heard me say after a session, “more people should put postpartum doulas on their registries!”
If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant or postpartum or just in need of more whole body care, I urge you to check out acupuncture at Acupuncture Northwest & Associates. I’ve been seeing Stephanie for over 5 years and highly (highly) recommend her practice.
Birth is a moment. Postpartum is forever. Over the last few years, I’ve been sharing this phrase with families I work with. We do so much planning for baby; we create Pinterest-inspired nurseries, research the best breast pumps, find the cutest clothes and stimulating toys, and that’s before labor starts!
When I began my career as a birth doula 7 years ago, I worked hard with my clients on creating a birth plan, and learning coping mechanisms and taught them how to advocate for themselves in birth. Over time, I came to understand that we cannot plan for birth. It just happens (I do believe we can prepare for all birth outcomes through education). Yet, for many people when we plan only for labor, when they’re sent home from the hospital or the midwives leave after a home birth, they’re left with a baby and sometimes only a vague idea of what to do next. This feeling can be incredibly overwhelming for a lot of new parents.