Postpartum Health & Doula Support
Written By Victoria Loughran | October 18, 2022
When we’re pregnant we are constantly preparing for the baby, but the baby isn’t the only thing we should focus on. I have yet to meet a woman who stops to think about “what do I need?” and when we miss this step, we begin to tumble down a rabbit hole. Once we hit the postpartum stage, our entire focus is on this beautiful little human we carried in our womb for nine months and we just naturally allow ourselves to fade.
When it comes to mental health and motherhood, it’s pushed back into the corner quite severely.
A MOTHER NEEDS MORE THAN JUST OCCASIONAL BREAKS AND “FEELING HUMAN AGAIN”.
In North America, postpartum care is viewed and practiced a lot differently than in places like Eastern Europe and South America. Here in Canada, we have the amazing ability to take the first year off to stay home with our baby but besides that... what else do we have? ONE checkup at 6 weeks? It's not enough and it's sad to think this is what we accept!
In most cultures, the first month of postpartum consists of special diets, rest, and assistance for the mother. Some cultures believe in “mothering the mother” and they do this by treating the mother as if she too is a newborn.
It may seem silly to think we need to treat the mother like a newborn but it's 100% true and should be implemented everywhere. The mother needs to have great nutritional support for healing, she needs rest and sleep to also support healing and she needs her village around her for when she needs something or someone. It doesn’t matter what this village consists of… it can be friends, family or even a mother support group! Another great support is having a Doula.
WHAT IS A DOULA?
A doula is a trained person who supports a mother and her family throughout pregnancy, delivery and postpartum (or just postpartum). Doulas provide emotional, physical, informational, and mental support. A doula may not provide medical care, but they are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to childbirth and the postpartum period.
As a mother to three and a Doula myself, I know how much can weigh on a mother in her postpartum period. Sleep deprivation, high stress and life adjustments are some key factors that contribute to a mother’s mental health and physical healing.
I know when I was postpartum with my first, I felt so alone. About a month after giving birth, I moved to a super small town in Southern Saskatchewan from Ontario and I didn’t have my mom, my immediate family, or my friends. I was somewhere completely new, and my husband was gone 12-14 hours a day. Being alone and basically the main caregiver to our baby ran me ragged. I had a Doula for my birth, but I never got her for my postpartum journey. If I just had someone around to help with nursing, cleaning, cooking and let me rest… I know I would have had a much better healing process and mental state.
Most days I would hardly eat all day because I was so busy focusing on other things that I completely lost myself. I gained more weight, I was angry all the time and I just felt like I had no control on anything while trying to keep my baby girl happy, fed and well… alive.
This was the beginning of my story.
THIS IS WHY I BECAME A DOULA.
I want nothing more than to help support mothers in any way that I am able! Moms have different needs when it comes to postpartum and if taking the baby to let a mom nap for a little while, watching the older children so mom can bond or help with light cleaning around the house helps her feel supported and taken care of… then she deserves that care!
When were in the thick of postpartum and trying to adjust to our new body, our new schedule and life… it's hard to play “upkeep”.
The mental load can significantly rise, and this can cause a lot of issues for the mother.
And that brings me to the topic of PMAD’s… do you know what this is?
PMAD is short form for Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorder. This can occur in the first year of being postpartum and in some cases can stay with the mother past that year. Due to the pandemic the number of cases with a PMAD went from 1 in 5 to now 1 in 3 mothers.
Support is needed more than ever, and mental health affects more than just the mother. The family can also begin to experience the impact. NO mother should feel alone or unsupported. As a Doula, I watch for the signs of PMAD’s in a mother and care can be provided! Mothers deserve all the care they can get.
This whole “I got it, I don’t need help” mentality needs to go in the garbage. There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing or asking for help!
A postpartum doula is trained to watch out for signs of PMAD’s and to help the mother through her healing journey with it. A Doula is a mother’s best extra set of hands and can significantly increase the mother’s ability to rest, heal and adjust.
IT TRULY TAKES A VILLAGE.
Victoria Loughran
RMT, CIMI, RPYT, Doula