Doulas support breastfeeding

Doulas are becoming more common and more popular figures at the birth of children in our area. They are trained to provide continuous physical. emotional, and informational support to the laboring mother. But what about after birth? Doulas are trained to support the breastfeeding needs of the new mother and her baby. Some doulas provide breastfeeding support well after the actual delivery. Taking advantage of a postpartum doula that will come to the home and assist a new mother with the challenges of breastfeeding beyond the first few hours after birth can make a big difference in establishing a working breastfeeding relationship. Some new moms may not be able to travel to a clinical setting to see a licenced lactation consultant. Some mothers need a more natural setting to address their individual breastfeeding needs. Enlisting the services of a postpartum doula fits those needs for a lot of mothers.

Today I attended a meeting of the group Birmingham Birth Stories. I lot of the participants at the meeting were either pregnant or doulas or both! These meetings are a great place to meet other moms who have used doulas. One of the doulas at the meeting, Melissa, came all the way from Tuscaloosa to participate. If anyone is interested in her services in the Tuscaloosa area she can be reached through her website, Melissa Barsdale - Birth Doula.

Come to the next meeting of Birmingham Birth Stories. It is a great place to meet other moms who have used doulas or to meet a doula for your next birth. They meet every second Tuesday of the month at the YWCA downtown on the second floor in meeting room 3. I'll see you there.