The main difference is that a postpartum doula isn’t there to only care for your baby; they are also there to take care of you! Postpartum doulas can hold space for you to process your birth experience, provide meal prep, do light housekeeping, and are just as invested in your transition into parenthood as they are in baby’s transition earthside. To learn more about the difference between postpartum doulas and baby nurses, click here.

Postpartum doulas have basic lactation training to help you with feeding. They are trained to help you troubleshoot common issues and also identify issues that may need the care of a more trained eye. If they feel like you might need the support of a lactation consultant, they’ll be able to provide recommendations of who to contact.

Absolutely. A postpartum doula is there to support your choices. No matter how you choose to feed your baby, your doula can offer tips and tricks so that your feeding relationship with your baby is filled with comfort and ease.

Many postpartum doulas do offer overnight services and many families love having an extra set of hands to help out at night. Postpartum doulas can help you get ready for bed and prep ahead of time for night feeds, as well as bring baby to you for feeds so you can minimize the time you spend out of bed. Please request an overnight postpartum doula if you are looking for support at night.

Yes! Your postpartum doula can help facilitate a seamless transition with the added support of your loved ones. A postpartum doula is a trained professional who specializes in infant care and postpartum healing. While your family and friends can provide wonderful support, they may not have the professional knowledge and experience that you could benefit from when facing common postpartum issues. A doula is simply one more member of your support team that is ready to work together to care for you and your baby.

While a postpartum doula can certainly hold space for you to discuss the many feelings that arise during the postpartum period, doulas are not trained mental health professionals. Postpartum doulas are trained to spot the signs of postpartum mood disorders so that they can connect you with mental health providers and other resources so you can get the care and support that you need and deserve. To learn more about building your postpartum dream team, including mental health support, click here.

Over 3/4 of Baby Caravan’s 90+ doulas are eligible to work with Carrot, Progyny, and/or Maven. To learn more about how to use your benefits to pay for doula services, click here.

On average, most postpartum doulas will work a maximum of 3 shifts per week. Some postpartum doulas offer more robust packages of 4 or more days/nights per week of support, though these packages usually need to be booked a few months in advance. Doulas limit their weekly availability to ensure that they are getting adequate rest in between sessions and thus are able to provide high quality support to their clients.

If you are wanting 5-7 days per week of support, we strongly recommend working with a team of 2 doulas to ensure that you get the support coverage you are looking for. Doulas love working in partnership with one another as it allows for a better work-life balance, as many of our doulas have families of their own! If a doula you’d like to work with cannot commit to the number of days/nights of support that you’re looking for, ask them if they are open to partnering with another doula. The doula will either have someone in mind whom they’ve worked with in the past, or we at Baby Caravan can help you find an additional doula to add to your support team.