Sleep. Oh, precious sleep.
What you wouldn’t give for just a little bit of it. You were prepared for the night feedings. What came to a shock to you though was how noisy such a little human can be in their sleep. You didn’t know you could worry about someone so much that you keep checking to see if everything is okay. And, another thing, how much longer is this day/night confusion going to last?
What if someone told you that these sleepless nights aren’t something you have to suffer through? With the magical bliss of an overnight postpartum doula, you can thrive through your postpartum. You might be saying, “A do…what? Isn’t that one of those hippie birth people?” Or maybe you have already heard of an overnight doula but are unsure of what all one can do for you.
Now imagine, it is 8:50 pm. Your doula has arrived! I take off my shoes at the door and head over to the sink to wash my hands. I dry my hands and then meet you on the couch where you are snuggled up with your sweet baby. You tell me it has been a day. You feel a sense of relief. You know I am here for YOU! I ask about your day, how you are feeling and what can be done to support you. Next, I ask about your precious little one. We talk some more about how things are going and set up a game plan for night feedings. I answer your questions about breastfeeding and newborn sleep and make sure you are feeling confident in your new role as a mother.
9:50 pm ~ I fill your water and take the baby. Off to bed you go. While you snuggle in for the night, I rock your little one to sleep. Once she is soothed and sleeping peacefully in her crib. I take a moment to tidy up the living room, prepare bottles or pump parts for the night and restock the diaper station and fold a load of baby laundry.
11 pm ~ I hear little stirs, early cues, that signal she is hungry. Breastfeeding is going well and tonight you wanted to get some extra sleep so you left some pumped milk in the fridge. I warm the bottle, change her diaper, and fill her little tummy up. When she is finished, I burp her and then swaddle and soothe her back to sleep.
12:30 am ~ She makes a poopy. Time for a diaper change and then soothing back to sleep.
2 am ~ Time to eat again. For the second feed of the night, you wanted to nurse. I bring her to you. I help you get the nursing pillow situated and make sure her latch is a good one. Once you are settled in I head to the kitchen, refill your water and bring you back a snack.
2:30 am ~ She is full. You roll over and catch some more zzz’s. l will handle the burping and diaper changes and because she still has her days and nights mixed up she has decided she wants to stay awake after this feed. During this time I will keep the room quiet, the lights dim. One more step towards flipping the day/night confusion.
3 am ~ She has fallen asleep and looks so peaceful. You are also peacefully sleeping.
4:15 am ~ She starts grunting. I can tell she has a little bit of gas. I rub her tummy and help her settle back to sleep.
5:00 am ~ I head to the kitchen and get your pump parts ready. I know your little one will be up any minute and you wanted to pump after this feed. Just as I had expected, she wakes. I take her to you to nurse. While I make sure she has a dry diaper and put her back to sleep you pump.
5:45 am ~ As I lay her in the crib, I get a text from you letting me know you are done pumping. I come in and gather the milk and hand off the baby monitor to you for when I leave in a few minutes. I then head to the kitchen to date and store your milk. I wash and sterilize the pump parts.
6 am ~ I gather my things and quietly head out while you all are peacefully still sleeping.
At Omaha Birth & Babies we understand the needs of every family vary. To help meet these vastly different needs our Overnight Postpartum Doulas are extensively trained in all topics related to mother and baby.
