Extra Hands
They say, “It takes a village to raise a child.”
It’s an old adage that reminds us that no wo(man) is an island. And thanks to a unique Wilmington-based business, no parent – or family – has to navigate the postpartum road alone.
Launched in 2014, Mama Love offers postpartum doula services to help alleviate the challenges that can come once a newborn is brought home after birth.
“The first months after childbirth are an incredibly vulnerable time in a new family’s life, even if it is not the first child,” explains Mama Love co-founder, postpartum doula, and mother Rachel Sutton (above, left). “Our goal in focusing on the postpartum stage is to provide tailored support to each new family, the kind of support they don’t even know they need.”
That support, says Sutton and business partner Jessica Zeffiro (above, right), DONA International-trained postpartum doulas and breastfeeding peer counselors at New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s Betty H. Cameron Women’s & Children’s Hospital, can ease the transition and accompanying impact of bringing home a new baby. It was through their own transitions into motherhood that they recognized the significance of the post-birth support role.
“We realized how heavily we relied on the experience and support of each other and our friends during the first months after becoming mothers, and it became very clear to us that we needed to provide a professional support system for local moms who may not have a close community of friends and family,” Sutton says. “The more we educated ourselves about all the significant changes and stages in the months immediately following childbirth, the more evident it became that there was a huge lack of support for this incredibly important time.”
Whether it’s one’s first baby or the fourth, the months following childbirth can shake up a family’s routine, turning even the most well-oiled family machine on its head. Add lack of sleep, a new mom’s fluctuating hormones, idealistic expectations, and other postpartum challenges, and anyone’s resilience can be affected.
While bringing home a newborn is not without joy, too, all of the change can inevitably take a toll. Therefore, by nurturing the mom – as postpartum doulas do – in addition to the baby, everyone wins.
“By mothering the mother … postpartum doulas enable the mother to recover from pregnancy and birth while focusing her energy on bonding with her new baby,” states Sutton and Zeffiro’s website (mamalovenc.com). “We believe that support, rest, and nourishment are vital tools for becoming the very best parent.”
What’s more, it’s not just mom and her baby that postpartum doulas focus on. Sutton and Zeffiro say they help manage the post-birth rollercoaster that all family members may find themselves on.
From addressing older sibling jealousy or educating siblings about proper infant care, to sitting with a newborn to give new parents a few quiet moments together, postpartum doulas provide a host of support services. Their aim, Sutton says, is to foster a healthy family unit.
“We support the whole family,” she says. “We assist parents by giving them realistic expectations of themselves and their newborns. We help facilitate bonding between baby and parent. We answer tons of questions and alleviate a lot of worry and stress by providing education.”
What’s more, evidence shows that having a solid postpartum support team is proven to be beneficial.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, “research shows that moms, dads, and babies have an easier time with this transition if a good support team is in place.”
What that care team provides, however, is different for each family, says Sutton, and it isn’t one size fits all. The ladies behind Mama Love continually reevaluate the needs of each family that they work with.
“Each family’s needs and challenges (are) completely unique, and they may evolve as weeks go by,” Sutton says. “Each day we work with a family, we reassess the needs and provide evidence-backed, up-to-date education, or sleep, or meals, or a cry-session, or interference for that certain family member who means well but is causing stress.”
While hiring a postpartum doula may not be for everyone, the concept is growing – as is Sutton’s and Zeffiro’s business. Since launching Mama Love, Sutton has seen the number of certified doulas, locally, rise and Mama Love has expanded its services.
“We now offer newborn care workshops,” she says, “Lamaze childbirth education, postpartum planning workshops, and special grandmother’s refresher social events.”
To learn more about postpartum doulas or Sutton’s and Zeffiro’s DONA training, visit the DONA International organization website at dona.org.
To view more of photographer Terah Wilson’s work, go to timelessfotographie.com
