Bringing Home Baby: Let A Postpartum Care Specialist Help

Corey Engmann never considered hiring a postpartum doula until she learned she was expecting twins.

- Christa Melnyk Hines

Feeling overwhelmed and worried about how she would handle twin babies, along with the pressing needs of her 2-year-old, she turned to a certified birth and postpartum doula to help her after her twins arrived.

The postpartum doula spent five nights a week for four months at Engmann’s home after the birth of the twins, providing support, encouragement and help. Her assistance enabled Engmann to get the sleep she needed to recover from a physically demanding pregnancy.

“I can easily say that hiring her was the best thing I have ever done for myself and our family,” Engmann says. “During the day I could be present, loving and enjoying all three of my children. It wasn’t the endless cycle of fatigue and frustration as it sometimes was during the first few months with my first child.”

TRAINED FOR SUPPORT

For many new moms, adjusting to life with a baby is fraught with uncertainty and few people to lean on for emotional or practical support. Close family and friends either work full-time or live far away, and partners return to work within days. The isolation and stress can aggravate recovery. A postpartum caregiver can help smooth the transition, guiding a new mother on how to take good care of herself and her newborn. Plus, many postpartum doulas can assist with light housework, errands, cooking, crowd control and sibling care.

Postpartum doulas are trained to provide support and information on infant care, feeding, postpartum recovery, mama-baby bonding and infant soothing techniques. As a mom of three, Haley Jasmin, owner of Uptown Doula in Charlotte, knows firsthand how difficult the first few weeks of new motherhood can be without support.