Step 11: Arriving Home: Family Support

Postpartum doula care is unique in that we support families as a whole; we do not focus on just infant care. Our goal is to support mothers, but part of supporting mothers is family support and care. As a postpartum doula, you become one with the family for a period of time.  They will have their own parenting styles, customs, and you will also likely be supporting the extended family who may be visiting.  Sometimes mother/daughter relationships can be difficult and this may cause anxiety to the new mother.

This step addresses these issues and ways you can handle them and begins with a typical scenario you may encounter in your postpartum doula work.  It continues with examining some causes of partner strain, expectations of grandparents and other relatives, and then moves into diversity with cultural customs that need to be respected. Some answers to questions below will require your own research.

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Arriving Home-Family Support

Application & Understanding

1. Respond to the scenario at the beginning of this article and describe how you would support Amy and Josh using the 5 S’s.
2. What are the seven Baby B’s for Attachment Parenting?
3. Name two ways you can support a schedule minded parent.
4. The new mother’s mother arrives to visit her daughter and new grandchild. You note tension in their relationship. How would you support the mother and daughter?
5. How would you respond to a relative recommending that a mother try rice cereal to help her three week old sleep better?
6. Name two ways you can support a schedule minded parent.
7. How would you respond to a client asking you to clean the playroom including vacuuming and dusting?
8. How would you support the partner who feels overwhelmed in his role as a father? How could you help him understand his wife/partner’s changing role from lover to mother?
9. Your client is concerned that her nine-week old baby is not rolling over because she heard some babies learn to roll over at eight weeks. How would you address her concerns?

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