An awesome resource every mom should have for after baby comes is a postpartum doula. A postpartum doulas focus is you Mama! Yes they do train and help with baby but all their help is to let mama heal and recover. Want to get to the list of best postpartum doulas in OKC quickly? click here
What is a postpartum doula?
While a birth doula is there to help before baby comes and during the birth process (Yeah, that is rather self explanatory, I know. :)) a postpartum doula as the name says is there to be a non-medical support after baby comes. A postpartum doulas focus is you Mama! Yes they do train and help with baby but all their help is to let mama heal and recover. They are there to provide emotional, mental and physical help to a woman during her postpartum season. The International Childbirth Educators Association states, “a postpartum doulas focus is to mother the mother.”
And I love what Olivia of Earth Side doulas shared, “A postpartum doula is like having a maid of honor for postpartum. We are your hype women, your support team. We are here to ensure a happy, well-fed and rested household, allowing the whole family to thrive. We mother you, so you can better nurture your baby. We are here to help you heal. “
How does a doula get trained?
While doulas are not medical professionals and generally do not provide medical care they are there to walk alongside your medical team and work collaboratively with them to bring out the best possible outcome. Doulas can get a variety of trainings and certifications to help them serve families better. They also do a lot of hands on practice to be able to serve you.
Related Read: 7 best birth doulas in OKC
Ways a postpartum doula can give support
- Emotional support – providing a listening ear, encouragement and resources during this season
- Physically – helping with night care, feeding & sleep support, light house work and errands that might need to be done
- Day time support – helping with sibling care, day care for your new baby so you can rest, light house work, breastfeeding support
- Night time Support – allow you to get some rest
- Meal Prep – helping with nutritious healthy meals so you can eat in the best way to nourish your body and baby
Why should I hire a postpartum doula?
Because mama you need support during those after birth days. Especially if you do not have supportive family and friends nearby a postpartum doula is vital. But even still having an outside person that you can talk too and relax around and know they will be giving excellent are to your baby is so helpful.
Amy V shares, “The benefits are to maximize rest for mom so she can care for her family whether physical, emotional, informational or nutritional. I don’t believe that everyone needs a doula. However, I believe if a mom needs or wants one she should have access to getting one. I want to empower, enrich and educate the mom in this phase of life.”
At what point in the pregnancy do you hire a doula?
Do it when you also book your labor doula! Olivia of Earth Side Doula shared, “the earlier the better! When clients inquire early, we are better able to serve and accommodate their needs and preferences. This being said, sometimes you just don’t know you need a doula until you need one right then! We strive to be flexible for situations like these.”
How do I hire a doula?
Go their websites or social media and contact them! Reach out to a few – personality is so important in connecting with your doula. You want someone you feel comfortable with and can trust and know they will be there during the days you are stretched the most. Check their reviews.
Related Read: What to pack in your hospital bag for having a baby
The Best OKC Postpartum Doulas
Below you will find my list of the best postpartum doulas in OKC that serve mamas and their families in the great area. I personally reached out to these doulas, asked them questions, and have provided their answers below. I have listed them in random order with no specific preference given. With a doula it is important to find one that you connect with so scroll through for an introduction to each doula and then use the links to their websites to learn more and get in touch with them!
Amy Varughese – Maternal Care
What Services Do You Provide?
Some of the services I offer currently are over night care, meap prep services and daytime support.
I offer meal prep services. I have tons of recipes that will help fuel mama to take care of her family.
I also offer daytime support where I come in and support the mother and father in getting into a routine, taking care of baby so mama can rest.
What is your vision for helping mothers?
My vision is loving mothers right where they are at. I want to be a safe space for mothers where they feel comfortable enough to share the ups and downs of motherhood. I want to be able to help and give the rest they need so they can take care of their family. My vision is to continue to help by being there for them even past my services.
How soon should a mom contact a you about services?
It’s always great to know that you will have help before you have the baby. However, even if you find your self in a place after having a baby, know that help is available. There are many resources for moms out there when it comes to post partum and every mom should go home with a list of them from hospital just in case she needs them.
Why should I hire a postpartum doula?
The benefits are to maximize rest for mom so she can care for her family whether physical, emotional, informational or nutritional. I don’t believe that everyone needs a doula. However, I believe if a mom needs or wants one she should have access to getting one. I want to empower, enrich and educate the mom in this phase of life
What are some of the reasons people have loved hiring you?
I have been told I am the “baby whisper” a “sounding board” “ “emotional support” here is a review from one of my clients that meant so much to me.
“Amy is a mom who helps the. She came to our home 1-2 nights a week for the first several weeks after Maggies was born. She took care of me and the baby, making sure we were rested, fed and totally supported through the hardest part of the 4th trimester. She provided me resources for nutrition and breastfeeding and whatever else I needed. She also took incredible care of Maggie while I slept (and y’all I slept HARD!). I always trusted that my baby was in excellent and loving hands.”
“Having Amy was a luxury and privilege that I know not everyone has access too. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to bring a resource like her into my home. Amy doesn’t just do overnight postpartum care. She supports and loves on the mothers whenever and however they need it. You can tell it’s her passion and she helps moms from those who are refugees to single moms to to those suffering with PPD. She helps wherever help is needed. I cannot recommend her enough!”
Olivia & Traccee – Earth Side Doulas
What services do you offer?
At Earthside, we promote rest + healing for the new mother by providing services such as postpartum education and breastfeeding/lactation assistance. Lending a hand in light household chores- such as meal preparation, laundry etc. to ensure that those precious early moments of a new addition in the household are never missed. We assist in baby bonding and allow for a seamless transition.
What got you started being a postpartum doula?
I’ve been a pediatric nurse for 4 years, so helping babies and mamas is something that I am passionate about. When a friend of mine reached out a few years ago about needing an extra postpartum doula for her business, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Fast forward to now, me and my mom are copartners of Earthside, helping as many mamas as we can!
What is your vision for helping mothers?
Our goal at Earthside is to allow every mother to heal at her own pace, in her own way- however that may look. We wholeheartedly believe that it takes a village, and we’re here to be yours.
What are some of the reasons people have loved hiring you?
Who better to answer this than our clients? 3 reviews are attached below. (pss I love this – clients truly do give the best feedback!)
“Olivia and Tracee provided postpartum doula services for our family after our son was born. Their services were absolutely invaluable during such a special time and were carried out with an unparalleled level of care and professionalism. More than an extra set of hands, they were highly trained professionals aimed to provide the highest level of care and support to our entire household during the most tender time for our family. We simply couldn’t recommend Earthside Doula services more.” -Meredith
“Postpartum with my first baby was ROUGH. One of the best things we did when preparing for our second baby was include postpartum doula support in our plans and it made all the difference in the world! When we found out our third pregnancy was twins, it wasn’t even a question of if we were going to have a postpartum doula – that was a given!
Olivia brought sunshine with her every time she came over. She was amazing with both of my babies, and me. The baby snuggles are a sweet part of the job, but she was really there taking care of me. Holding and changing the babies so I could take a nap or shower, making sure I was hydrated and fed while she was there and prepping meals for when she wasn’t, tending to things in my home that were bugging me because I couldn’t do anything about them while nursing 24/7 like the laundry, dishes, and the state of my pantry.
I can without hesitation say I highly recommend Olivia and Tracee! They will care for you and your family in one of the most special times in your life, which gives you the space and support to heal and find yourself in your new normal when your family grows. Every mother should have that support!” -Josiah
“Tracee was so amazing! She’s a wonderful postpartum doula. She cared for our family when we had our third child for a couple months. She went up and beyond every week to make life easier and happier for our family during the transition to adding baby sister to our now family of 5. She’s amazing with babies, always loving and engaging with the baby. She was so great with my boys (4 and 2 yrs old), playing with them and reading to them so I could nap and shower. She went above my expectations with helping around the house, which gave me so much peace of mind. The days Tracee was at our home were my favorite. I could rest and give each of my children some one-on-one time which was what we all needed. Tracee was always kind to lend a listening ear when I was struggling and responding with love and encouragement. I would definitely hire Tracee again!!” -Brittany
Miranda – Sooner State Doula
Services:
birth doula, birth educator (check out her birth classes in my OKC birth class post), postpartum doula
Website
Miranda serves families in the OKC metro area through both labor & delivery doula support and postpartum doula services. As a postpartum doula she seeks to make the fourth semester a smooth transition for families by helping with day and/or overnight care, assisting in newborn care (helping parents with soothing and sleep skills, breastfeeding and baby wearing support), meal prep, light housekeeping, a master list of referrals for things families might need and more.
Courtney Gillaspia – Okie Birth and Babies
Courtney is a doula & birth photographer serving families in Yukon, Bethany, Edmond and in greater Oklahoma City. She says she is passionate about helping families in their birth journey to feel heard, educated and supported in their birth desires and goals. She offers stand alone doula services, stand alone birth photographer services and also a doula and birth photographer package. Courtney also assists families in the post partum period through both night support and day support.
Ashley – Peaceful Roots Doula
Services:
IBCLC (lactation counselor support and breastfeeding classes), postpartum doula
Website
Ashley supports families in the OKC area with a wide range of assistance as an IBCLC and postpartum doula. She desires for parents to make sure they have the support they need to face this new season of their lives. She provides baby and breastfeeding prep classes too!
Postpartum Group Services
Rather than hiring a private one on one post partum doula you can also hire a postpartum doula service. You will often be matched with the same doula each time but this groups hire several doulas to work for them.
The Postpartum Concierge – providing night support to families during the postpartum period.
Thrive Mama Collective – a variety of options for your postpartum needs. They also have a wide range of options for families financial needs.
Baby Coming Home – providing both day and night support for new families. Helping you become confident in your role as a parent. You can also check out an interview I did with them here!
I hope these were helpful in giving you a launch board for where to find support and find a postpartum doula in OKC!
