How to Help Parents Build Postpartum Support Systems

As a postpartum doula, you are in the business of uplifting and supporting your clients’ voices. Part of this is helping them build and access their support systems. At ABG Postpartum Doula, we particularly love to meet with folks prenatally, as they plan for their postpartum period.

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This article will give you some insights into the different types of supports growing families may want or need along their journeys. These supports can contribute directly to the parents’ wellbeing and mental health. They also allow parents to focus more on rest and bonding with baby than on chores, which will ultimately contribute, again, to their wellbeing and mental health.

Types of Support to Help Clients Explore as They Prepare for Postpartum

1. Peer support. This can be formal or informal or anything in between. Sometimes, this means having a few close friends to stay in touch with during immediate postpartum. These are folks they can be real with; folks they can count on for care and support. Other times, this means joining specific peer support spaces, such as pregnancy, postpartum, or parenting groups. It’s always a good idea to have a short referral list for vetted groups in your area!

2. Family support. If the growing family has family who can support (and they want their support), you may help them create a visit schedule. We often recommend scheduling different folks at different times, to spread out the amount of time the family will have access to extra hands! It’s also helpful to go through the list of folks they may want around the house and explore the types of tasks they feel comfortable asking for help with. (Some of these tasks are ones listed below– like household, food, and sibling or pet care.)

3. Medical support. A lot of time and energy often goes into picking the birth team, which makes sense! AND it’s important to have support for postpartum too. Medical support may include pelvic floor therapists, pediatricians, mental health professionals (psychiatrists and/or therapists), and lactation consultants. Again, we strongly suggest that you have referrals for each of these categories. Of course, their midwife or OB will also be an important and continued resource during postpartum, and someone you may encourage them to reach out to with questions along the way.

4. Other professional support. Other professionals that can be helpful during postpartum obviously include postpartum doulas 🙂, as well as folks like personal chefs or meal pref services, professional organizers, massage therapists, and other service providers who work with babies and/or postpartum folks.

5. Household and food. We’ve often encouraged clients to set up tools like MealTrain or other care calendars, that allow them to communicate specific needs that their community may be able to fill. This might also involve discussing meal prepping for freezer meals and/or building a favorites list for the local grocery store, so that postpartum ordering is as easy as possible. If folks don’t have a regular house cleaning service, this may be something they want to add even if briefly as they navigate early postpartum, or perhaps there’s a friend or family member who is able to pitch in. If there is yard work to be done, the family may want to outsource this to a service, friend, or family member, as well. Again, even if they only ask for this help a few times, it can have a meaningful impact.

6. Other children and pets. Growing families who already have children will need to plan not only for the logistics, but also the social and emotional needs of their older kid(s). This ranges from developing a new school drop off and pickup schedule to ensuring there is still special 1:1 time for the older kid(s) and each parent. They may also lean on the support of a childcare provider, friend, or family member to offer enrichment and engagement for the older kid(s).

Your Support as a Postpartum Doula

As you can see, there is quite a bit to map out and consider when a family is preparing to welcome a new baby. You may discuss all of this in one sitting with a family, but it may also take them some time for them to consider and rally their existing support systems before they know which gaps they need to fill. Your compassionate listening ear and wise referrals will help along their journey!

Another key part of your role will be to remind parents to be flexible in the ways they plan support, as their needs may change upon arrival of the baby or as they settle into their new routines. They may need to ask for even more help than they anticipated, or perhaps they may feel the need to scale back and have more quiet time with just the folks who live in the home. Flexibility is key during postpartum and parenting!

A Note About Networking

As mentioned above, you are going to need a solid referral list! These are important resources for clients, ones you will undoubtedly use regularly. Plus, as you connect with other birth professionals, you are also building your own referral network. This is a great way to build community, market your services, and serve your client. Make the effort to vet and get to know the folks you are adding to your lists; it will pay off!

Join Us in Class

We’d be honored to see you in postpartum doula training soon, whether it’s in Asheville or Richmond (in May), Eastern North Carolina (in July), Houston (dates TDB), somewhere else, or online! We get into the nitty-gritty of newborn smoothing and so much more. See you in class soon!

*Photo credit: Hannah Busing on Unsplash

Thanks for reading ABG Postpartum Doula Blog! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.