Postpartum Doula Services
What is a Postpartum Doula?
A postpartum doula in Washington, DC, nurtures new mothers and their families through the process of becoming parents. With professional support from the doula, the mother and the family experience success, gain knowledge, and become more self-confident with their baby. The doula usually provides visits during the day. Momease has several services from 3-hour to 6-hour postpartum packages for new parents.
What is a Baby Nurse/Newborn Specialist?
A baby nurse or newborn specialist is a childcare professional or certified postpartum doula who comes into your home for a few weeks following childbirth. The baby nurse helps with infant care and can educate parents on skills such as feeding and bathing. She will do night feedings and help support the mother in breastfeeding and perform several baby-related tasks. These professionals typically have extensive training in newborn care, nutrition, bottle and breastfeeding, and child development. They may or may not be a licensed vocational nurse.
A postpartum doula from our team can provide:
- Feeding the Baby or Bringing the Baby to the Mom to Nurse
- Burping
- Changing Diapers (Cloth or Disposable)
- Swaddling
- Changing Clothes or Bed Sheets if Necessary
- Soothing the Baby Back to Sleep
- Keeping sleep and activity logs
- Sleep Education and General Newborn Education for Parents
- Help Establish a Sleep Routine with the Goal of 12 Hour Sleep at 12 Weeks (This Does Not Involve Any Crying or the “Cry It Out” Method)
- Bottle Cleaning and Sterilization
- Cleaning Pump Parts
- Bottle Preparation for the Following Day
Postpartum Welcome Home Package
This package is designed with the needs of mommy in mind. As mothers transition home from the hospital, it is important to ensure that they receive both the emotional and physical support needed for such a tremendous transition. This package includes three three-hour visits from our postpartum doulas and is recommended for the first 15 days of the baby’s life.
Session I
During the first three hours, a postpartum doula will provide the new mom with some much-needed self-care. Mom will learn common methods for caring for the perineal area or C-section scar, as well as learning to cope with breast discomfort associated with nursing and increased milk supply. Your doula will assess you for signs of postpartum depression and will recommend local services and resources that would ease your transition to parenthood if needed. Light housekeeping will be included (functions related to mom or baby care, i.e., making beds, folding clothes, soaking baby’s laundry).
Recommended items: Rice pouches/heating or cooling pads, nipple cream, sitz bath, and nursing pillows.
Session II
During the second three hours, a postpartum doula will begin to support mom and her partner with basic baby care needs, which include caring for the umbilicus or circumcision, efficient diapering, clothing, swaddling, and common comfort measures used during the baby’s first few months of life. The doula can continue to assist mom with basic self-care, monitoring, or supporting postpartum depression symptoms, as well as recommending local services and resources. Light housekeeping will be included (functions related to mom or baby care, i.e., making beds, folding clothes, soaking baby’s laundry).
Recommended items: Happiest Baby on the Block, Harvey Karp, M.D., Adanis and Anais swaddling blankets, Vaseline or petroleum-free barrier creams.
Session III
During the final three hours, a postpartum doula will support mom and her partner with advanced baby care, including bath time, gentle-touch techniques, examining baby’s communication cues, and discussing normal sleep patterns and rhythms for baby. The doulas can continue to assist mom with basic self-care, monitoring or supporting postpartum depression, and recommending local services and resources. Light housekeeping will be included (functions related to mom or baby care, i.e., making beds, folding clothes, soaking baby’s laundry).
Our total fee is $450 for 9 hours.
Baby Basics at Home
Session I
During the first three hours, a postpartum doula will begin to support mom and her partner with basic baby care needs, which include caring for the umbilicus and or circumcision, efficient diapering, clothing, swaddling, and common comfort measures used during the baby’s first few months of life. The doula can assist mom with basic self-care, monitoring, or supporting postpartum depression symptoms, and recommending local services and resources. Light housekeeping will be included (functions related to mom or baby care, i.e., making beds, folding clothes, soaking baby’s laundry).
Recommended items: Happiest Baby on the Block, Harvey Karp, M.D., Adanis and Anais swaddling blankets, Vaseline or petroleum-free barrier creams.
Session II
During the second three hours a postpartum doula will support mom and her partner with advanced baby care to include bath time, gentle touch techniques, examining baby’s communication cues and discussing normal sleep patterns and rhythms for baby. The postpartum doulas can continue to assist mom with basic self-care, monitoring or supporting postpartum depression and recommending local services and resources. Light housekeeping will be included (functions related to mom or baby care, i.e. making beds, folding clothes, soaking baby’s laundry).
Session III
During the third three hours, a postpartum doula supports the mom and her partner with schedule management and routine development. The postpartum doula will assist mom and her partner with establishing routines for daily living that will make the adjustment to parenthood a little smoother. Sleeping and eating routines for parents can be discussed, along with how to build adult time into the new daily schedule. The focus for this session is couple care. Your doula can continue to assist mom with basic self-care, monitoring, or supporting postpartum depression and partners who may be showing signs of depression. Light housekeeping will be included (functions related to mom or baby care, i.e., making beds, folding clothes, soaking baby’s laundry).
Session IV
During this fourth session, the postpartum doula will begin to work with mom and her partner on baby-wearing basics. If mom has any baby-wearing equipment, these items can be practiced while you have the support of your doula. Recommendations for baby-wearing items can also be provided upon request of the mom or her partner. The doula will support a mom with making steps towards traveling out of the house, unassisted, to a location of choice by preparing the diaper bag and practicing how to place the baby in the car seat or stroller. We also continue to assist mom with basic self-care, monitoring, or supporting postpartum depression and partners who may be showing signs of depression. Light housekeeping will be included (functions related to mom or baby care, i.e., making beds, folding clothes, soaking baby’s laundry).
Session V
During the fifth session, the postpartum doula will continue the work of supporting baby-wearing and assisting mom and her partner with preparing to travel outside of the home for leisure activities. Breastfeeding holds will be explored that are more comfortable on the go, when a nursing pillow is not accessible. If mom expresses a desire to travel outside of the home, the doula will accompany to a location of her choice for lunch to assist mom with challenges that often occur on the move (diapering, maneuvering a stroller, breastfeeding with a cover, etc). The postpartum doula can continue to assist mom with basic self-care, monitoring, or supporting postpartum depression and s partners who may be showing signs of depression. Light housekeeping will be included (functions related to mom or baby care, i.e., making beds, folding clothes, soaking baby’s laundry).
Recommended Items: nursing cover.
Total Package: $675.00 for 15 hours
Postpartum * Customize Package * Min of 16 hours a week.
