The Magic of Postpartum Doulas, with Sariah Wight
As a mother of 3 and someone who has experienced postpartum depression and anxiety, I wish I had known about postpartum doulas sooner in my journey.
Postpartum care, especially in the U.S., is absolutely vital. Despite the popular narrative, postpartum care is not just about holding your baby and delivering frozen dinner. While those things are amazing and can be so helpful, postpartum doulas come equipped with extra knowledge, tools, and support measures to care for the whole you because you deserve to be taken care of too.
I'm so honored to be joined by Sariah Wight, a postpartum doula here in Utah, who is here to share all her postpartum magic in this week's episode.
Show Notes:
1:11 - Our reviewer of the week shares that she loves sharing this podcast with her clients as a birth and postpartum doula
3:32 - Introducing Sariah Wight, a postpartum doula and mother of 3. She shares how she made the decision to become a postpartum doula after experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety.
5:20 - Sariah shares how she balances the workload of taking care of other mothers AND taking care of her own little ones at home.
7:18 - Sariah shares how she actually helps postpartum families including doing housework, educating on newborn care, meal prepping, providing emotional support, and connecting them to resources.
10:07 - Did anyone else feel like everything needed to be done a specific way or that nobody could come over without you feeling stressed about your house being messy? I wish I had known about postpartum doulas when I had my first!
11:47 - Your postpartum doula is there to take care of you and your partner even if you need things done in a specific way ;)
14:35 - Where do you go to find a postpartum doula? Sariah shares her favorite resources for connecting to birth and postpartum doulas no matter where you're located.
16:13 - How do you vet your postpartum doula to make sure they're a good fit? What skills should you be looking for? It's all in the way you connect with them!
18:00 - Postpartum doulas are trained in spotting the signs of postpartum mood disorders like depression and anxiety and have a plethora of resources to help you navigate them.
22:45 - When is the right time to hire a postpartum doula? Is there a cut off for hiring a postpartum doula if you find out you need more help after your baby is born?
24:33 - Sariah shares how much you should be expecting to spend on a postpartum doula and which variables affect the pay rate the most.
27:02 - How to put a postpartum doula on your registry!
27:32 - Postpartum doulas are so valuable especially in the U.S. where postpartum care and support is not mainstream and parents are left on their own very early on. Mothers won't see a medical provider for six weeks! Your postpartum doula is your first line of defense in noticing physical, mental, and emotional concerns.
30:35 - Sariah shares how much better her postpartum experience was with a postpartum doula versus having to rely solely on friends and family and the key differences between both experiences.
34:16 - How bereavement doulas care for parents experiencing loss when they need unique, personal care.
38:10 - What is the right thing to do and say when you're supporting something through a pregnancy loss? Sariah shares her thoughts and tips.
40:53 - Where to find Sariah for online and in-person support.
Links Mentioned:
Find Sariah:
