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Frequently Asked Questions

Over the course of providing postpartum care to more than 2000 families we have had lots of questions about our service. Below are the answers to some of the most common questions we've been asked.


 
 
 

Postpartum Doula FAQs

  • Below is a brief list of some of reasons families have called us for help with their newborns:

    First-time parents; Parents of multiples; Cesarean section birth/recovery; Families with little local support; Women who want to breastfeed; Families with other young children; Birthing people at risk for or experiencing postpartum depression & anxiety; Premature births/babies; Parents who have experienced difficult deliveries; Babies with colic or reflux; Families with high anxiety levels; Babies with special needs; New parents with limited experience with newborns; Mothers who have been on bed rest throughout pregnancy; New parents with no family nearby.

  • The first few weeks are when you can benefit the most from having knowledgeable helpers in your home. Having a doula there the first couple days can make days 3, 4, & 5 (when your milk typically arrives) much more manageable, help partners and extended family understand how to make the best team of care.

    We also serve many families during 3-8 weeks, when babies tend to ramp up their fussy times. This is often a time of problem-solving and getting some much-needed rest when it seems like things will never change.

  • Yes! We can be your hands and feet while you recover. We make food, do dishes, wash and fold laundry, change bedding, and generally take care of the family while everyone rests and recovers from surgery plus the exhausting hospital stay and adjusts to newborn life. Think of your doula or NCS as the bedside nurse that you get to take home (minus the RN part). We can run back and forth with everything you need so you don't have to get out of bed, we can educate family members on typical recovery length—and we can hopefully help shorten your recovery time.

  • We encourage all families to rest after the birth, and if you had a vaginal delivery it is important to get off your feet sometimes. We can do all the above listed things, plus set up your sitz baths, peri bottles, and help position baby for feeds that allows you to rest your sorest parts. We can help organize your time so visitors come at the most helpful times, and you have time to really bond and connect to your baby.

  • We are happy to provide however much newborn care your family needs, however we always want to leave the bonding moments for mom and dad/partner. We will help setup breastfeeding or bottle feeding (including the pump and milk storage system), diaper and bathe baby as needed.

    We will also give you all our secret tips to making these times efficient and keeping your baby happy in the process. We do want to emphasize that we are not there to parent the baby; this baby came to live with your family and we will be happy to use any parenting technique that fits your style, but if you need some new ideas we can make suggestions on techniques that have worked well for other families we have served.

  • We are proud to say that our doulas and newborn care specialists are the highest caliber of caregivers both personally and professionally. They attend numerous ongoing education events yearly, work collaboratively with each other as well as with clients' other care providers, and strive to bring evidence-based care into the home with gentleness and expertise. We are so happy they share their time and talents with us.

 

Sleep Consult FAQs

  • Because every family is different and every baby learns to sleep at their own pace, there is no one suggested method for everyone. Our sleep consultants draw upon numerous gentle techniques from some of ourfavorite books and resources—but more importantly, from our extensive experience working with hundreds of babies (including many sets of twins and triplets) and their sweet, tired parents. After listening to your sleep journey with your baby, and asking lots of questions about your goals, we will suggest many methods based on your own unique situation. Once a method is chosen, we will give you a timeline of your preferred method. A true CIO is never suggested, but a “controlled crying” or “camping out” method may be suggested—but only if the following criteria are met: baby is over 4 months of age, the family has tried everything else, and doctor has approved (i.e. there are no medical issues that may be impacting sleep). We have a phenomenal track record for getting households much improved rest without resorting to CIO methods.

  • The consult covers everything about your baby’s daily routine, including naps, nighttime, feedings, and active playtime. We will also address medical concerns such as weight gain, reflux, and any other potential concerns keeping your baby from sleeping. It is important for you to discuss any medical issues with your doctor prior to your consult, and to get their approval for 8+ hours of night sleep. We will also address your parenting style preferences in relation to sleep goals as well as future feeding goals. We can elaborate on topics that best apply to your family, such as introducing solids, communication with your baby, separation anxiety and giving you a timeline of normal infant development and how this all correlates with healthy sleep habits.

  • While each and every consult is unique, because no two babies or families are the same, the following is a general idea of what may occur in a typical consult. First, we will spend time assessing your family’s current routine (taking note of rhythms--both day and night, feedings, etc.) and going through baby’s medical background, looking for anything that might be interfering with sleep. Then, starting where you are now, we will help determine what your goals are in regard to improved sleep and discuss a reasonable time frame for achieving those goals. Together, you will create a plan that everyone feels good about. We will then follow up with you, offering support as you begin to implement this new plan. There are several follow up opportunities to adjust the plan if needed.

  • Consults usually last about 2 hours. If there are no interruptions from older siblings, excited animals, phone calls, etc., you and the sleep consultant can create most, if not all, of your new sleep plan during this visit. At the very least, your initial goals will be established, until you are ready to actually begin implementing the sleep plan. (Things that might cause you to hold off on the plan for a bit may include: baby’s age, impending travel plans, medical clearance, or upcoming immunizations.) Enlisting back up support for older siblings and really designating time for your consult will help it go smoothly, and ensure you get the full value of our expertise. Phone consults can consolidate this support into one hour, and overnight support to help implement a plan can vary from 8-10 overnight hours.

  • During your consult, you will create written notes to help define your plan and also determine when you will begin the new plan. We will help you structure these notes so that you are clear on what to do throughout the day/night, with regard to implementing the plan.

  • After your initial consult, you will likely have questions as you begin to implement your new sleep plan. We request a short email or text with these questions, and several follow up options are included. If you have been implementing a plan that is working well and then takes a downward turn, you can also purchase an additional phone consult to overhaul the plan.

  • Seeing the bedtime routine is helpful but not necessary. Any insight into your daily routine is useful for us to observe your rhythms and see what is important to your family. With or without viewing the bedtime routine, we will ask specific questions to help create your new plan.

  • Because each family is so unique, visiting the home is a huge part of the equation in crafting a working new sleep plan that best suits that particular family. We are better able to help after getting a feel for baby’s temperament, as well as by observations of the sleep environment—looking for any distractions to sleep, or anything that may pose a risk. However, we know it is just not possible for a home visit every time, and you might just need an hour to pick our brain to come up with more ideas or to challenge your thinking about what our baby can do, so we do offer 1 hour phone consults as well as in-home visits and plan implementation overnights.

    *Travel Fee- If we are able to travel to your location, a travel fee will be added appropriately. Phone consults might be a better solution if travel is prohibitive.

Lactation Visit FAQs

  • Postpartum doula care includes a number of services, and having a longer visit of 4+ hours can cover many different needs after a baby arrives. Scheduling a doula visit will allow you ample time to cover parent needs, breast or chest feeding concerns, baby challenges, and some down time to rest or have chores accomplished. A last minute visit will tackle only the most urgent of needs, and you get a concentrated source of support with your goals for breast and chest feeding, baby issues, and problem solving sleep and fussy baby concerns with doula care.

    Our Last Minute Visits are only 1-2 hour visits and can be scheduled quickly as opposed to doula visits which are generally scheduled a week or more in advance. As they can also be set up for Zoom or phone, sometimes these visits can be done very last minute to help when things feel very urgent.

  • We get this question a lot (although perhaps with different wording). The question is really about how much pressure parent will get about breastfeeding.

    Our goal is not to push anything, as no one but YOU knows how you want to approach feeding your baby. We are here to help you overcome whatever challenge is in the way of your personal goals. Doulas are never here to make parenting decisions for you. We respect whatever feeding decisions you will make for your baby, and will offer you many options to help make it work in your practical life. We are not opposed to using formula and we know there are many ways of feeding babies. We trust you and will always check with you about what sounds best for your baby.

  • Our doulas have years of experience helping breastfeeding mothers. They have up to date knowledge and skills to support families, but do not provide clinical services such as weighing, charting, or providing products such as nipple shields or SNS. Referrals are made to appropriate practitioners after a last minute visit, whether to a specific IBCLC with a specialty for your unique need, or back to your own provider for further examination or diagnosis.

    Owner Kimberly is an IBCLC, so if she is available or can do a phone/Zoom consult we are happy to arrange that.

  • There are so many wonderful practitioners locally who we know and can refer. Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) are all over the Portland and Vancouver area, both in the hospital and in private practice. We know many of them, and can recommend them based on their specialty, their approach, or the location they serve.

  • At this time only medical practitioners or IBCLCs can bill insurance or receive partial insurance reimbursement. We hope that will change to allow for Lactation Educators and for Postpartum Doulas eventually too. For now we address this concern by making the last minute visits about half the cost of an IBCLC home visit. Kimberly does not bill insurance for her Lactation Consults, but tries to keep her consults affordable so that families who need it won't be hindered by the cost involved to help their baby eat effectively.

 

Placenta Encapsulation FAQs

  • The placenta encapsulation specialist (PES) adheres to all OSHA & EPA guidelines regarding bloodborne pathogen transmission, infection prevention, standards for sanitation, and safe food handling. The PES brings all of the necessary equipment and encapsulation materials to your home to complete the process. All materials used are thoroughly sterilized between each use, when not disposable, and everything meets food grade standards.

  • Your placenta is yours, and you have a legal right to take it home with you from your hospital or birth center. Start talking about your desire to have your placenta released while you are still pregnant. Many doctors, midwives, and nurses in Portland have heard the request before, but it is good to write it into your birth plan and mention it several times in the last few appointments before delivering. Ask for the hospital policy about placentas so there are no surprises. You may be asked to sign a form called "Consent to Release Products of Childbirth". If the hospital has immediate release, you can put your placenta into a tupperware like container with a lid or double bag it into gallon size Ziploc bags. Be prepared and bring your own container, though some hospitals will provide one. Some area hospitals have a policy of sending placentas to pathology automatically, and keeping them for 7-15 days. Your placenta can still be brought home and encapsulated after this time, but you MUST request that it be frozen rather than refrigerated while being held in pathology.

  • In order to explain the benefits of placenta with regard to breastfeeding, it is important to understand the process of lactation. As the placenta separates from the uterine wall during the third stage of labor, a dramatic shift in hormones takes place in the mother’s blood stream and brain. The hormones that help during birth like oxytocin and prolactin continue to be important as breastmilk production starts in the first few days after giving birth. The placenta has a store of these hormones leftover from the labor, which could be absorbed by the mom in placenta medicine. The placenta also has as beneficial iron and protein to strengthen the new mother’s blood and ease recovery from her birth experience. All of these factors can ultimately lead to a less fatigued new mom with a better chance of bringing in a full milk supply.

  • Research shows us that the placenta makes many hormones and raises their levels during the end of pregnancy. The brain is usually responsible for the production of these hormones, so while the placenta is making them, the brain slows production. When the placenta is delivered, many of the hormones are still in the blood and tissues of the placenta. The hormones in the mother’s bloodstream will drop dramatically at birth. The brain will take a few weeks to balance the production of the hormones, which is why we think many moms (as many as 80%) experience some symptoms of the baby blues. Placenta medicine can offer an easily absorbed form of some of these hormones like estrogen, prolactin, and Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH). These hormones can balance the production of serotonin, which is a hormone associated with feelings of happiness; help get breastfeeding off to a good start; and keep our stress levels low during the postpartum period.

  • Traditional Chinese Medicne (TCM) uses placenta medicine to address fatigue. Research has shown that many new moms are anemic, or iron deficient. This condition sometimes occurs during pregnancy, but can be brought on by blood loss during delivery. Most moms recover their iron stores due to their increased blood supply from pregnancy, but for those that are still anemic, symptoms can lead to physical fatigue, making the stress of caring for a newborn or recovering from a difficult birth even harder. Moms with symptoms of fatigue that don’t go away with extra rest have been shown to have a higher risk of developing postpartum depression and a lack of bonding with their newborn. The good news is that even if a mom is not iron deficient at delivery, the boost of iron from placenta medicine can raise energy levels and balance emotions by lessening the stress of the postpartum period.

  • In animal studies, placenta medicine was shown to enhance the bodies’ natural ability to tolerate pain around delivery. Placenta was also shown to increase the effectiveness of certain types of medication like morphine, meaning that the mothers needed smaller doses to feel a significant amount of pain relief. Smaller doses of medication have been shown to reduce dependency on the drug, lessen side effects, and decrease the likelihood that bonding will be interrupted.

  • Not at all! We use unflavored capsules and like any medicine, it is swallowed with a glass of water. There should not be any flavor. If preferred, we can encapsulate with flavored capsules, which usually impart a slightly fruity flavor.

  • Yes! We do all the preparation in your home, so your placenta will never leave your possession. You can be assured that it is your placenta with nothing added. You are welcome to participate by observing as much of the process as you like. Conversely, if you would rather not be part of the process, we will be as quick and discreet as we can and will be busy in the kitchen area with no need to disturb you as you heal and bond with your new baby.

  • Some moms would like an immediate does of placenta medicine. If desired, we can give you instructions for how to prepare a placenta smoothie with a piece of your placenta and fresh or frozen fruit. We are happy to explore any other recipes of consuming placenta that you are drawn to, but preparation will be up to you.

    If you are looking for extensive preparation with your placenta (salves, tinctures, artwork, jewelry, etc) we can make referrals for those services.

 
 
 

Overnight Care FAQs

  • Many prospective clients believe we will “take the baby” and bottle-feed them at night, which we are happy to do with bottle-fed babies if it allows the parents to recover after birth or during challenging times. However, your goals are our goals, and if breastfeeding is your goal, we will do everything in our power to help you have success. This includes bringing your baby to you to feed at night, supporting you with information and encouragement at 3 am when things are frustrating, and helping you with pumping and storing milk if you want others to bottle-feed while continuing to breastfeed.

  • No, we are not RN’s, and although it is a traditional term for those caring for babies at night, we do not use this term to describe our care as it is illegal to use the title of Nurse without a license or credentials.

  • Our nighttime doulas and newborn care specialists are not sleeping when the baby sleeps, but up helping out the family doing quiet activities and monitoring babies, sometimes strategizing what will work best for a new sleep setup, sometimes problem solving. Some of the activities we do other than tending to babies or parents are dishes or laundry, tidying the baby’s room or changing area, making food (if it doesn’t disturb family members) and researching resources for the family.

    Do we rest? Yes. There are times when babies are peacefully sleeping and all the chores are done that we do sit down and close our eyes. For this reason we do ask for a little bit of prep before our overnight care.

  • No, we do not need a guest space because we are not your guests. We are there to serve your family, and a couch or recliner is plenty for a quick rest near the baby when all else is done.

    We do prefer to rest a bit so our commute home is safer for everyone on the road, as eyes that have been up all night are sometimes not as sharp as eyes that have closed for a bit. But you can trust that should your baby need us alert all night, we will be rested and up for the job.

    If you do want us to provide overnight care in the nursery, or we are providing 24/7 support, we do request a reclining surface for the times when we can rest. Many options can work for this, and we can review them when you set up care.

  • Yes, we do! We can make something as basic as peanut butter toast at midnight to overnight oats or frittata for breakfast, or even put something in the crock pot for later in the day.

    If food preparation is important to you, please let us know so we can pick a doula that fits your needs!

  • One of the most common requests we get is to move in and stay forever! Although we can be so valuable in the early days when you are exhausted and learning so much about your baby and your new roles as parents, believe us; it will not feel like this forever. We see most families needing overnight support for the first 6-8 weeks, or more like 8-12 weeks with twins or triplets. Sometimes we can stay a bit longer if there are extenuating circumstances, or if we are not booked with brand new babies and you just need a bit more care to get back on your feet (with difficult recoveries, multiples, or postpartum depression this can be a common request). But believe it or not, suddenly your baby will make huge strides and you will look at each other one morning and say, “We got this!”

  • This is a loaded question. Do we help babies sleep well at night? Yes, absolutely. Do we help with practices that encourage longer stretches of sleep as babies grow and develop and seem ready? Yes. Do we take a 6-8 week old baby and try to make them sleep through the night with no feedings? NO. We support baby’s developmental process and also parent’s needs for rest, but we won’t force your baby onto a plan that doesn’t support his or her nutritional needs or will sabotage the breastfeeding relationship. Let us know your goals with sleep, and we will do our best to help you all get there.

  • We recommend that you have a few day time visits mixed into your overnight care, but you get to decide what is best for your needs and budget. The reason we encourage the day time visits are multifaceted, but primarily we want you to have time to problem solve with your whole brain. With some sleep under you belt, you are much more likely to be creative at problem solving, but when you are exhausted and your body says "SLEEP!" you are not going to come up with your best work.

  • If you are a napper (or if you have learned to nap with the onset of parenthood) then you can save a lot by having doulas or newborn care specialists there during the day for a 4-6 hour stint instead of an 8 hour overnight. During that time we can help do the practical things needed, cover some teaching time, problem solve, and give you an extended nap that can help the nights go more smoothly when you are on your own.

    One of our favored services is our Sunrise Doula service: a doula will come over in the wee hours of the morning (5 or 6 am) and put parents right back to bed for a long morning sleep. Families love this service of 4-5 hours to help them catch up on sleep, start the day with confidence, and save the budget.

 

We serve families of all shapes and sizes, from every walk of life. Single parents by choice, LGBTQ+, adoptive parents, and families welcoming their babies through surrogacy are commonplace for us. We strive to bring the best support to your family, without a specific approach to parenting, as this is your turn to make decisions about what is best for your family.

 
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 More Questions?

Reach out to us at kimberly@abcdoula.com or with the button below.


 
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