Can postpartum doulas serve us during the pandemic with Covid-19?
We are getting a lot of questions about whether we are available to serve clients or not. Here is the scoop.
We are open!
We have several doulas that have openings, especially before their spring or summer clients start (who have been booked for months—it’s a big birth time in Portland!). We are only sending out doulas who are healthy and well (like always) and are trying to keep the doulas teams to a limited number, ideally one or two.
All the doulas are fully vaccinated, and have been following the CDC guidelines throughout the pandemic, and are not at risk. Those who feel they could be at risk have removed themselves from the group until the risk passes. So the answer is yes, we can serve you!
Here are some of the precautions we will be taking to insure that we will not pose a risk to any client families:
Keeping our immune system strong by good nutrition, supplements, and enough rest.
Limiting our exposure to groups, gathering at events, or putting anyone or ourselves in harm’s way that could be sick or a carrier.
Getting outside daily for Vitamin D, fresh air, and exercise, which we know is a big fighter for disease.
Here are things we can do while at your home to reduce risk:
Show up to work in clean clothes, just for your shift.
Remove our shoes at the door, wash our hands thoroughly, and maintain hand washing protocol throughout the shift.
If you feel safer with us in a mask, we will happily wear one during our shift. This is more challenging at night, but we want you to feel as safe as possible.
If gloves would be helpful, especially for diaper changes or cleaning up messes, we will happily utilize those in addition to our hand washing.
We will minimize exposure to other families unless we have cleared the setup with your family in advance.
We are here to take amazing care of you and your babies. If you have needs for breastfeeding support, baby questions, sleep coaching, and other concerns that could be addressed digitally, we are also happy to help! We can utilize the phone, FB video conferencing or Zoom meetings to support you online with problem solving, Q & A, and overall with emotional support during these unsure times when new babies don’t seem like the biggest deal in our country (except they still are to you!).
Many new parents are reaching out because their parents can’t travel to support them as well. Know that we will happily fill the gaps in care that are needed, but can be flexible to welcome the grandparents or extended family when they are safe to travel. We want you to have happy memories of your new baby’s arrival, and not memories filled with worry and anxiety as you navigate each day’s new challenges with this virus. Give us a call and we can help you figure out the best plan to get you great support while keeping your family safe.