A day in the life with a doula

If you’re not sure what it would be like to have postpartum doula services, we’ve provided a sample day in the life of a doula’s work in your home — this is what a first-time parent could expect us to be doing during the first home visit of your experience with Beyond the Bump Cincy!

You can see how quickly a four-hour visit can fly by, and of course, a baby won't always follow a predictable schedule. But no matter what your baby throws at us, we'll spend our time together working to make sure your day goes smoothly — and that we leave you feeling good about your parenting.

9:00 am
We text on our arrival, then greet the parents and wash up before getting started.

9:05 am
Get an update on how the night went (maybe your first night home with Baby!) and take some time to review the hospital discharge papers together.

9:20 am
Send parents up for a nap or shower and watch Baby. Tidy the kitchen while preparing a snack or breakfast for tired parents.

10:00 am
Baby is hungry — get parent comfortable to feed and, if breastfeeding, make sure latch and positioning are working for good transferring of milk. Go over how to tell it's going well. If bottle feeding, help with formula prep and tips on bottle positioning.

10:30 am
Start a load of laundry.

10:40 am
Help parents settle Baby for a nap, and get them settled for a rest, too.

11:00 am
Transfer laundry and do some meal and snack prep for later.

12:00 pm
Discuss any stresses parents are feeling — whether it’s overly helpful family members, concerns about Baby, concerns about the pediatrician, questions about how to bathe, feed, swaddle, or anything else.

12:15 pm
Baby is hungry, and maybe parent is stressed about feeding — review helpful positioning and latching.

12:20 pm
Set Mom up in a warm foot bath while they feed and cuddle with Baby.

12:30 pm
Fold laundry.

12:50 pm
Make sure parents are set up and comfortable for the night ahead.

12:55 pm
Review plans for the next day and the next home visit.