A day in the life of a postpartum doula

Before I attend to a mama, I wanted to write out the things that need to happen in the background for each visit to be meaningful and nourishing.

Roughly 2- 3 weeks before the due date, I start planning. Astrologically, my Mars is in Capricorn, so if anyone knows how to work, it’s us. The planning involves looking up recipes that cater to your lineage and background. For example, if my client is European let’s say Italian in this instance, I would research traditional recipes eaten in the postpartum by your Nonna and Great Nonna. It is important I lean into this as I want to create a package that’s bespoke to you and what your body will recognise when you taste the food.

Once I have a rough list of main meals, soups, snacks, teas, I then start sourcing the food. I go for organic and farm fed food as I know how much the quality of meat and veg matter. The shopping list is prepared, and around 2 weeks before due date, I buy what I need.

Before birth I make bone broth (broda) and this time I chose to make a green soup that’s full of iron and yumminess. I do this so that when I arrive in person, I can give her a cup of broth to drink for each day I am there. The green soup is frozen and so it will last well after my time is up. I bring a snack which can be saved for labour such as peanut butter dates, and raspberry leaf and nettle infusion tea.

Everything I make, I pour my intentions into. As I am stirring the broth and the soup, I am intending for it to be nourishing. I intend for it to be tasty and warming. I intend for it to be loving and that baby receives all of this.

Once that pre birth food drop is done, I work through my menu list. I will freeze two more meals, and then bring two fresh meals. The frozen ones will be the more heavier meats like oxtail stew and sausage stew. The fresh would be the lighter soups like egg drop with greens and chicken liver.

When I arrive on day one after she has been discharged, I bring a home made loaf of bread, two different snacks, the frozen oxtail, and fresh soup.

The plan is that I arrive with the box of food, and then whilst we de brief on the birth, Ill have a pot of herbs simmering for the bath I am running.

It’s so important to land and feel grounded when I arrive, so I will spend the first hour just holding space and see how she is feeling. I offer a gentle massage using olive oil and maybe plait her hair as mothers we need gentle touch. The oils I pick again resonate with where you are from and your background, for South Asians I would use more ayurvedic oils, but for Europeans, I would chose olive oil or something more local to the land.

Once we have had this space and time, I pour the herbs (through a sieve) into the bath. I set up all her bits to change into, towel, pads, clean clothes. Leave some petals in the bath and let her melt into it to process the huge transition she has been through.

Bathing is very dear to my heart. It feels so right in my bones as I can feel it’s something my ancestors did for many many generations. Herbal bathing restores us. It heals or wounds and gives us space to just be.

Whilst she is bathing, I get cracking with jobs around the house so she doesn’t have to worry about that. I asked my client before birth to write a note of the things she does as soon as she wakes up. So if hubby can’t get to it, ill do it when I’m there. If the dishwasher needs unloading, or washing put on / put away, or nappy bins emptied then I can do that.

After the bath, I bring a tray over of the soup, snacks and tea that I have made so she can get back into bed.

I will also introduce belly wrapping so she can learn to do this inbetween meals.

Over the course of the 40 days, I follow this structure and gradually take something away so that by the time my care ends, she will hopefully feel held and supported.