Having a new baby is one of the most thrilling events in life. Paradoxically it is also one of the hardest times of life. The adjustment throws the couple or family into a bit of chaos for a few weeks.

Life always finds its rhythm again, but until then there is help available!

Newborn Care

Postpartum doulas specialize in the first few weeks of postpartum. She is a specialized person experienced and knowledgeable about the postpartum period. She is trained in breastfeeding issues, new mother’s physical and emotional needs, newborn care, and sibling care.
She also cares for the practical duties in the household for the whole family. She is CPR certified and up to date with her Pertussis vaccine.

Daytime Doulas

Day doulas provide both emotional and practical help for the new mother and her family. A doula can lessen the stress of having a new baby for a first-time mom by helping the new mother feel confident in her ability to mother her baby, provide answers to her questions, and give her time to take a nap.

For both the first-time and 2nd-time (+) mom, the doula can watch and care for the baby for her while mom sleeps. The day doula will also do laundry for the whole family, make meals for everyone – watching to be sure the new mom is eating and drinking enough. The doula can care for siblings, as well, keeping them busy, happy and fed.

Doulas can also drive mom to appointments or run errands for her such as shopping or picking up kids from school. A day doula will take the initiative to help wherever it is needed so everyone in the family has time to adjust to the new family member while having their needs met.

Having a day doula can ease Dad’s worry for his family when he returns to work, knowing his wife is being supported and his children cared for.

Overnight Doulas

Overnight doulas provide essential support for parents struggling with the lack of sleep. Newborns will wake to feed, on average, every two hours over a 24-hr. period.

Many couples find the lack of sleep the most challenging part of having a new baby. Lack of sleep can cause mothers to feel overwhelmed and fathers to struggle to stay happy and supportive. Many people don’t function well with broken sleep. Those who have struggled with depression can find it harder to maintain a good frame of mind without enough rest.

New mothers need to heal, and sleep will help them to do this. If a family has older children, it is harder for the new mom to catch up on her sleep during the day.

The Overnight doula can ease this situation. A night doula cares for the newborn
– feeding, changing and settling the baby – exclusively through the night. She will take notes so mom and dad can see what the baby did during the night.

If a mom is breastfeeding, the overnight doula can provide nursing support by helping the mom with latching, answer her questions and changing and settling the baby for her thus cutting down on her “up” time.

Once nursing is established, a breastfeeding mother can pump and leave milk for the doula to feed the baby shortening the mother’s awake time.

MothersCare Doulas are nurturing, reliable, and loving persons. We work with those we would trust with the care of our own families.

You can meet your doula in advance to be sure you are comfortable. You can arrange services last minute or schedule in advance to have a daytime and overnight doula months before your due date.

MothersCare Doula Services provides support to mainly CT families in Fairfield, Hartford and New Haven Counties. We also have doulas in the Danbury area and along the Shoreline in towns such as Guilford, Old Saybrook and Madison.

Please call us at 203-375-5719 or send for information from our website: www.motherscaredoula.com.