Preparing for a Positive Postpartum Experience: A Kansas City Doula's Guide
Preparing for a positive postpartum experience in Kansas City involves building a support network, choosing a doula who resonates with you, creating a postpartum plan, prioritizing self-care, understanding the emotional challenges, and embracing flexibility. By taking these steps, you'll be better equipped to face the joys and hurdles of early parenthood with confidence.
The Role of Grief in Birth
From afar, birth is joyous, miraculous, and full of hope. It is the renewal of life- the start of an entirely new person who will have unique experiences. It can feel that way for those experiencing it too, but it is more. Birth taps into a deep well of emotions not typically accessible in the day-to-day. The vulnerability needed to trust a team of professionals to help you at a cornerstone moment in your life leaves a family feeling raw and exposed. It does not mend quickly. The tenderness is a gift of sorts. This a reminder to go slow. An awareness of a new kind of healing.
Postpartum Professionals in Kansas City
Compared to the number of prenatal appointments pregnant people attend, the number of visits planned for a postpartum person is laughable. In case you aren't aware - there is usually only one appointment. Sometimes there are two if a baby is born surgically.
The Benefits of Baby-wearing
If you wound back the clock 15 years, you would have been hard-pressed to find a Tula or Moby anywhere other than the internet. But now, on the eve of 2020, babywearing is no longer seen as an "alternative" method of transport and caretaking. Babywearing has become mainstream, to the point that Target, the second-largest retailer in the US, has several kinds of babywearing devices on hand.
Cup Feeding for Newborns
The decision to breastfeed your baby is a very personal one. Today, many parents do choose to breastfeed for at least some portion of time. In preparation for their breastfeeding journey parents often take classes, read books, watch videos, and do tons of research. One topic that is not always covered in the vast information gathered is how to supplement a breastfed baby. You are not always presented with the need to supplement your breastfed baby, but if you are, I want to be sure that you know you have options. Many parents that I support as their doula have never heard about cup feeding. I personally love this option so I want you to know it’s out there!
Postpartum Anxiety
I didn't take my baby to a restaurant until he wasn't a baby, technically, any longer. About 14 months after he was born, I was starving, forgot to bring a snack for myself while out running household errands, and it would still be hours before I would be back home with the rush hour traffic. My child was happy, and seemingly unbothered by the fast-paced world, the tedious safety straps of his car seat, or of any logistical conundrums of needing to change a diaper in a place with no changing station. Thankfully, he is a relatively go-with-the-flow sort of kid.
Best Snacks For Breastfeeding
As a doula, one of the most important topics I talk to expecting parents about while helping them prepare for their postpartum period is snacks. That’s right snacks. I promise, when you bring your sweet little baby home from the hospital you will be so tired, that once your little one is sleeping your entire life will come down to three things: eat, shower, or sleep. And spoiler alert, sleep usually wins. So how do you maintain enough of a calorie intake to nourish your healing body and establish a milk supply for your baby? Snacks yo!