Get More Sleep! (Hire a Postpartum Doula)

In my many years of working as a postpartum doula, I have found one thing to be true of every client I’ve ever supported - people love to sleep! And for many parents of a newborn, sleep is the one thing they need the most but get the least.

But there is a solution to get more sleep. Hire a postpartum doula!

At Doulas of Raleigh, our overnight postpartum doula support is one of our most popular services. And that’s because it allows families to get the rest they need at night in order to be their best selves during the day.

So what does it look like to have an overnight postpartum doula?

At our agency, overnight shifts can be anywhere from 8 hours to 12 hours long. We want to make sure that there is plenty of time for our clients to chat with their doula, get settled in for a good night’s sleep, and also touch base again in the morning.

When the doula first arrives for an overnight, they will check in with the family to see how the evening has been going. They want to know when the baby last ate or had their last diaper change and also if there are any challenges or questions the doula can help with. And of course they also want to know how YOU - the parents of this baby - are doing. But as much as we love chatting with our clients, we get you off to bed as soon as we can.

Prior to beginning with clients, we work out the sleeping arrangements for the whole family. Will the baby be in their crib in the nursery? In a portable bassinet downstairs in the living room? Whatever makes the most sense for the client is what we do. And wherever the baby ends up being, the doula is camped out there too. We want to be able to hear every little grunt and shuffle throughout the night.

We also discuss feeding plans and goals before coming for an overnight shift so we know exactly how to maximize sleep for everyone.

For a breastfeeding family, we understand that the lactacting parent will not be able to sleep the entire night, but we do our best to make sure they get as much sleep as possible in between feeding sessions. Some clients prefer that the doula bring the baby straight to them and help with getting the baby latched in the side-lying position. This means the breastfeeding parent doesn’t even have to get out of bed. When the baby has finished eating, the doula will take the baby back for a diaper change, burping, and some soothing back to sleep and the parent can go right back to bed. Other clients prefer to meet the doula in the nursery and feed their baby while the doula keeps them company for the middle of the night feeds. Whatever works best for each family is what we do.

For our bottlefeeding clients, we make sure we know where the bottles are, how much to prepare (whether of breast milk or formula), and any other instructions about feeding and then it’s off to sleep for the entire night. The doula will then take over all night time feedings, diaper changes, burping, and soothing. We are always happy to keep notes of everything that happened over night so we can give the parents a detailed run-down in the morning. And we make sure that all bottles and pump parts are washed and drying before we leave.

Overnight shifts are not just for the parents. We make sure the baby is getting good sleep too! At Doulas of Raleigh, all of our doulas follow the American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep Guidelines. We want our clients to have the peace of mind knowing that their baby is safe and well cared for throughout the night. We work with our clients to learn their sleep goals and then implement what we know about sleep to build healthy and safe sleep habits for the baby. We work with our families to set them up for success long after their time with a doula is over.

In the morning, your doula will give you a rundown of everything that happened last night and answer any questions you have. We also like to have a minute or two to chat about you and how you are doing. Postpartum doulas are whole family support and a big part of our work is making sure both the physical and emotional needs of the family are being met. Before we head out the door, we’ll turn the coffee maker on and say see you tomorrow night!

Doesn’t this sound great? I mean, who doesn’t want more sleep?! So, give us a call today and let’s get you set up for a good night’s sleep.