Matresence
Matrescence is the physical, psychological and emotional transition a woman goes through when becoming a mother
Postnatal Doula
/doo-la/
A postnatal doula provides non-medical, emotional, informational, and practical support to families in the days, weeks, and months following the birth of a baby.
Why hire a postnatal doula?
The early days with a new baby is a special and fragile time which deserves to be treated as sacred. Mothers deserve to be looked after, and it's important. The body needs time to recover from birth, for wounds to heal, time to digest the emotions that come along with the cocktail of ever changing hormones, discovery of your new identity as a mother, reflection and time to talk through your birth. All of these needs are at the same time as getting to know your new baby, probably on very broken sleep. And if you're breastfeeding, your body will be working hard behind the scenes and using more energy to create enough milk for your baby.
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During pregnancy, there is a lot of focus on how to take care of yourself in order to keep baby healthy - what to eat, what not to eat, which exercises to do and which ones not to do, which supplements to take etc, and once your baby is born, the focus is on the baby.
This of course is natural, we are wired to have the baby as the centre of our world and for care of the baby to take the focus - and it's not particularly easy to plan for your fourth trimester while in the third, focus at that point is of course on the birth and it can be hard to imagine what will be needed in the way of care for you.
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When you're planning for postpartum, it's a good idea to think about the things mentioned above and put together a postpartum plan (which can be done with a doula!) A postnatal doula works in various ways to support all of those needs. From providing nutritious food to helping with the house and with baby so you can rest, or being there to listen to your birth story however you birthed your baby. Different postnatal doulas offer various services in various styles, so i'd recommend chatting with a few when choosing the doula for you!
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Putting measurements in place for postpartum whether you decide to use a postnatal doula or not, will all contribute towards being supported, nourished and rested - which can aid recovery and alleviate stress, for better physical and mental health.
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This type of care was once common and normal, and unfortunately has become a lost art over the years. Historically, members of the community would have gathered around family to care for them in any way needed: the home taken care of, nutritious food cooked, providing the parents with support, aiding the vulnerable transition into parenthood and In many cultures, this is still the case. Childbirth and the fourth trimester is deep rooted in tradition, with special rituals to support and honour the mother.
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In the fast paced world we live in, for the many families the village isn't there, there isn't a friend or family member who can simply dedicate hours and weeks of their time to supporting the new family.​​​​​​​​
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You might hire a postnatal doula because you don't have friends or family living nearby, or maybe you do but you're not sure they'd be the type of support you really need. Maybe it's your first baby and you could really do with some reassurance in the early days, or your third and you need reassurance. Maybe you're having twins... or triplets! Maybe you're a single parent, or maybe you'd like support with a sibling. People choose to hire a postpartum doula for a variety of reasons and whatever your reason is, is a good enough one!
Investing in postnatal doula support is investing in yourself, it gives you the opportunity to be supported, listened to and heard with no judgement - no matter how you birthed your baby. Gentle encouragement to trust your instinct, support with feeding your baby how you choose, hands on help with your home and other children and tasty, nourishing food made for you. This support can aid in healing physically and emotionally, create precious time to bond with your baby, while finding your own path and gaining confidence with adjusting to the new rhythm of life.
​You deserve to be properly looked after during this very special moment in life.