DYDC Postpartum Doula Packages
Post Partum Doula Services are booked by the hour or we offer the following Baby Bliss package
Baby Bliss Postpartum Doula Package*
- Postpartum Doula support for three days a week for two weeks. Each visit is 3 hours long.
- 6 Private Sessions in your home or at our studio**
- 1 Month Unlimited Yoga
- 1 Nutrition Consult plus 3 follow up visits
- 1 Home visit with a Certified Lactation Consultant
Price $1100
Deposit $400 due at signing
Balance $700 due at conclusion of Postpartum Doula Services
Additional Postpartum Doula Services may be purchased at $30 per hour.
* Clients who sign up with either of the Birth Doula Packages or the Postpartum Doula Package are entitled to discounted Childbirth Education or Bringing Home Baby classes
**Sessions can be used before or after the birth of your baby and can be customized to include the following:
Hypnosis sessions, private training sessions in yoga, pilates or boot camp, reiki, nutrition counseling and Bringing Home Your Baby (this takes 4 visits). You may choose to have these sessions in your home or at Dolphin Yoga & Doula Center.
What is a Postpartum Doula?
A Post-partum Doula’s role changes from day to day, as the needs of the family change. Post-partum Doulas do whatever a mother needs to best enjoy and care for her new baby. A large part of their role is education. They share information about baby care with parents, as well as teach siblings and partners to “mother the mother.” They assist with breastfeeding education. Post-partum Doulas also make sure the mother is fed, well hydrated and comfortable.
The role of the postpartum doula is fluid. An important part of her role is to come alongside the parents and together decide what type of support they will need. Some families need educational support: breastfeeding, infant support, and how to care for the new mother. Others rely more on the non-judgmental emotional support that the postpartum doula has to offer. Still others have more practical needs - like feeding the family and running errands. Most families find that their doula provides all of these things, according to the needs that develop, as well as the ever-important communication between the doula and her clients.
Why Should I have A Postpartum Doula?
Research by experts tells us that new parents who have support and feel secure and cared for during this time are more successful in adapting than those who don’t. Studies have shown that cultures in which women are cared for by others for a defined period of days or weeks and are expected only to nurture themselves and their babies during that time have superior outcomes in postpartum adjustment. We know that women who experience support from their family members, care providers, counselors and peer groups have greater breastfeeding success, greater self-confidence, less postpartum depression.
There is also evidence indicating that timely referrals to competent, appropriate professionals and support groups can have a significant positive outcome for the family. Parents benefit from education on what to expect from a newborn, baby-soothing skills, feeding, bonding and attachment and coping skills. Rather than being told to “help out”, partners and other family members benefit from concrete instruction and role modeling on how to support a woman during the weeks after birth. Research tells us that support for and from the partner can have a significant impact on their partner’s own experience as well as the emotional adjustment of the mother.
What will a Dolphin Postpartum Doula Do?
- Provide hands on education on infant and mother care
- Come alongside the parents and help them to get to know the abilities and talents of their new baby
- Create a nurturing, restful atmosphere in which parents may eat, shower and nap
- Prepare nutritious meals
- Play with older children and offer suggestions for how to integrate the new baby into the family
- Spend time with the baby, allowing parents to cuddle and have quality time with older children or just be alone together
- Introduce parenting tips, helping parents to learn skills that will enable them to cope with their new responsibilities
- Screen for hurdles such as breastfeeding challenges or postpartum mood disorders
- Make referrals to any local or informational resources that the parents might need
- Help to organize the nursery and home
- Take care of the baby’s laundry
- Offer a non-judgmental ear
Your Dolphin Postpartum Doula will meet with you and your partner once before your baby is born to become acquainted, to explore and discuss your priorities and any fears or concerns, and to plan on how we might best work together. In this meeting, we will inform you of times when your primary doula may be unavailable for post-partum support. If necessary, to cover those times, we will arrange it with one of our other Dolphin Post Partum Doulas whom you may also meet.
A Dolphin Postpartum Doula supporting a family during the “overnight” hours might…
- Assess and help with breastfeeding
- Diaper and burp baby, so that mom does not need to move around - she can just stay cozy in her bed to feed and snuggle baby
- Bring snacks and beverages to the mother while feeding her baby at night
- Prepare pump supplies or bottles for the next feeding or the next day
- Take the contentedly fed baby to another room and help the baby to go back to sleep, so parents can sleep soundly between feedings
How long does a Dolphin Postpartum Doula spend with my family?
What hours can I expect her to work?
Doula support can last anywhere from one or two visits to up to about three months. Some doulas work fulltime, with 9 to 5 shifts. Others work three to five hour shifts during the day, or after school shifts until Dad gets home. Some doulas work evenings from around 6 pm until bedtime, 9 or 10 pm., and some work overnight. Some doulas work every day, some work one or more shifts per week. As you can see, it is about meeting your needs. A postpartum doula needs to be flexible and adapt to the needs of the family.
When do you contact your Dolphin Postpartum Doula?
You will call your doula when you think you are in labor. Once your baby is born, we can then determine the day you wish her to start. We are available to you via phone or email at any time before or after the delivery of your baby for questions regarding post-partum care.
What is the difference between a Postpartum Doula and a baby nurse?
The role of a postpartum doula is to help a woman through her postpartum period and to nurture the family. Unlike a baby nurse, a doula’s focus is not solely on the baby, but on fostering independence for the entire family. The doula is as available to the father and older children as to the mother and the baby. Treating the family as a unit that is connected and always changing enables doulas to do their job: nurture the family..
How do Postpartum Doulas work with a mother’s partner?
A doula respects the partner’s role and input, and teaches concrete skills that will help the partner nurture the baby and mother. The doula will share evidence-based information with the partner that shows how his or her role in the early weeks will have a dramatic positive effect on the family.
By mothering the mother, doulas makes sure that the mother feels nurtured and cared for, as well as making sure she is eating well and getting enough sleep. In addition, postpartum doulas are trained to help clients prepare themselves for parenthood, maximizing support and rest.
What Postpartum Doulas do not do:
- Perform clinical tasks.
We are there to provide only physical comfort, emotional support and advocacy. - Make decisions for you.
We will help you get the information necessary to make an informed decision.
If we are there to help in the hospital, we will not speak to the staff instead of you regarding matters where decisions are being made. We will discuss your concerns with you and suggest options, but you or your partner will speak on your behalf to the clinical staff.
