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Links Mentioned

New Mama Nation Community
Melanie at Built to Birth
Erika at The Maternal Sidekick
The Maternal Sidekick Website

Transcript

You’re listening to The Love & Lettuce Podcast, episode number 17. I want to shine some light on something I didn’t even know existed until well into my first pregnancy: the amazing postpartum doula. If you’re like, huh, the what? Then you’re in the same boat as I was. I can’t wait to open your eyes to this fantastic service that is available to us mamas. Whether this is your first or fifth child.

Hey, this is Laura Lima, holistic nutritionist and founder of New Mama Nation and host of The Love & Lettuce Podcast.

I am here to help mamas know what to eat to give them energy and help them feel fantastic so they can better enjoy life with their littles. And remember, this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice from your healthcare provider, and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. As always, please consult your healthcare provider to find out what is right for you. With that said, let’s get to the show!

Before I dive into today’s topic, I wanted to let you know about my natural mamahood community over on Facebook. It’s called the New Mama Nation Community, and you can find it by searching for “new mama nation” under “groups”, and you can request to join, and I will accept you, mama. Oh yes, I will. It’s a free Facebook group where I post nutrition information and tips, recipes, polls, and other fun stuff. Other mamas post as well, and we answer one another’s questions, we support each other. It’s just all around a fun and supportive group to be a part of, and a must if you’re a new or newish mama, if I do say so myself. And I do. So there you go! Come join us over on Facebook at the New Mama Nation Community.

The Postpartum Doula

Okay, so let’s talk about the postpartum doula. This was a concept, or rather, a person, I should say, that I had no idea existed when I was pregnant with my first, Ellie, until not long before she was born. I was actually pregnant at the same time as my friend, Sara, who ended up having her baby the day after mine, so we were definitely at the exact same point of pregnancy!

So Sara had heard about this workshop that was geared toward pregnancy and she asked me if I wanted to come. I was like, heck yes I do! Sign me up! Shoutout to Sara for this, by the way, as she is ultimately the one who introduced me to this new world. Simply by inviting me to that workshop.

The workshop had a few different speakers, and it was actually put on by Melanie Farrell of Built to Birth. Who coincidentally then became my birth doula. I will talk all about birth doulas in another episode, because they are also amazing. But today, it’s all about the postpartum doula. 

One of the speakers that day was Erika Matkovich, AKA The Maternal Sidekick, who described what she did to help her clients. I was like, huh, that sounds amazing! And then I was lucky enough to win a contest that day. Which got me 10 hours of her, basically.

Now, if you’re wondering if I would have hired her if I hadn’t won that contest? Heck yes I would’ve!

Just hearing everything she did for her clients’ comfort in those first few months after birth sounded like exactly what I would want and need. And also, after those 10 hours were up, Miguel and I swiftly booked her for another 20. And then another 20 after those were up.

We both saw and felt the huge value of having her around in those first few months of new parenthood. But again, it’s just as helpful, I would say, for your second, third, or even fifth babies. Some moms would even say it’s more helpful at that point since you then have more than one kid to look after. But having her there at the beginning, when we were totally new to this thing called parenthood, just helped so much. Invaluable for sure.

What exactly does the postpartum doula do?

So what does the postpartum doula do, exactly? Well, in short, pretty much anything you need, within reason, of course. But I’m not kidding when I say that anything I needed, she was there for it. She would take out our garbage and recycling for us without even being asked. Because at the time, we lived in a condo, and so we had to pack it up in a wagon and bring it down in the elevator, all the way to the parking lot. And doing that with a newborn. How?? At least that’s how I felt at first. All these things were so new that to figure out the logistics of doing it with a newborn. Just, like, no thank you.

So she would do that when she first got there. If it was needed that day, she would do any dishes in the sink and put away the ones that were waiting to be put away. She would do, like, meal prep for us. So washing and chopping veggies, prepping a muffin batter, even making no-bake peanut butter balls start to finish for us. She would hang out with baby while I showered. Or better yet, had a soothing bath. And I took as long as I wanted.

She answered all my questions about motherhood and babies. She was not only a doula, but a mom of three herself.

Just such a relief for me during that period of motherhood and she was a listening ear and helping hands.

Whenever she was coming over that day, first of all, I was so excited because I loved when she was there. But also, I just felt a sense of relief and calm. I knew that she would be there for pretty much whatever I needed for those three or four hours. It was seriously amazing.

She also helped to prepare us before Ellie was born. As far as changing diapers, getting baby dressed, giving them a bath, all the things that. Yeah, seems so obvious. But yet they aren’t when you’re not used to doing them and they’re not a part of your world yet.

Once I had two kids…

Now, after Maggie was born, and I now had a newborn and a toddler, Erika helped so much. Not only with giving Maggie a bath and doing all those housework things that she had previously done but also in keeping Ellie company while I spent time with Maggie. And the other way around too, holding Maggie while I spent time with Ellie.

And I don’t know about you, but two kids was a new thing for me. I definitely struggled with making sure I continued to give enough attention and love to my toddler while still being there for my newborn with whatever she needed. It was definitely a struggle and a tough balance. So having Erika there, even for three hours per week, really helped so much.

So I hope you’ve gotten some insight into what a postpartum doula can do for you.

I really wanted to shed light on this awesome help available to us mamas. Especially since I had no clue about its existence before I randomly went to that workshop during my first pregnancy. So many people just have no idea that postpartum doulas exist and what they can do for us. And how truly worth it they are.

My Advice For You

I recommend every new mom, or, like, every time you have another baby, they at least get a postpartum doula for a few hours to try it out and see what they think. Again, the doula I had who I would recommend again and again, and have recommended again and again, is Erika Matkovich. Her business name is called The Maternal Sidekick, and you can find her on Insta @thematernalsidekick and also on her website at thematernalsidekick.com.

If you have your own story about your postpartum doula, or if you have any questions, then come join my free natural motherhood community over on Facebook, my friend. Just search for “new mama nation” under “groups”, request to join, and I will gladly let you right on in!

Have a great day, mama, and I will talk to you here next week. And hopefully sooner in my Facebook group. Bye!

Thanks for listening to The Love & Lettuce Podcast. To find out how to work with me, and for more great info, check out newmamanation.com. This is Laura! Until next time, love and lettuce.