It is such a sacred time bringing home this new bundle of human being. Adapting to this wonderful new life, take a moment and breathe all that baby in.....beautiful.
Now take a moment for yourself, this transition of new life for you adapting in your own head, your body and your relationships with others. It can be wonderful but it can also be daunting.
Postnatal doulas cannoffer practical and emotional support for you in the home and be that person for you to offload too.
A doula whontraines with me has been embarking on a journey of her own writing her new book Aysha Sheikh shares an extract with us. Enjoy.
My Postpartum Journey By Aysha Sheikh Ami-Aysha’s Mindset Initiative A light hearted look at my day The screaming had started before i could even open my eyes .. My typical day starts with me bleary eyed trying to breastfeed my newborn while my toddler starts screaming from the top of his lungs Breakfast ! Everyone wants breakfast at the same time and they want it before I’m awake. Ooh! Today i can smell the sizzle of a hot breakfast waft upstairs ,someone must be in a good mood . I head downstairs to see my husband laying out breakfast for our screaming toddler.I smile sweetly before grabbing mine and make myself comfortable on the sofa as i will be stuck there for the next hour or so feeding the baby. I let the early morning sounds fade into the background as i prepare myself for this ritual. My life had become a blur of days merging into nights,as i had decided to breastfeed this time . Why ! And when had I become so maternal I don’t know. But what i did know was I wanted to breastfeed for as long as possible. My sofa was my work desk, everything was placed around it in strategic precision just as it would be on my work desk.The most important and key pieces placed within reach of my hands .The tv remote (a very crucial item ) always close by. My water bottle ,i was to drink plenty of water before ,during and after breast feeding to keep hydrated and apparently it helped keep my milk supply coming in My assortment of pillows ,I loved the breastfeeding pillow that curved around the baby,my neck pillow for when i fell asleep ,and i could do this anywhere at anytime ,which came as a surprise to my husband who had seen me survive many years on three hours of sleep . My lactation cookies ,yes i kid you not ,cookies that can help produce more milk ,and even if its only an urban myth they taste heavenly . The rest of my “supply drawer” items were very non essential , non healthy snacks ,that my post pregnancy body needed and if not supplied when demanded I could become someone that even i didn’t recognise. Was i taking liberties by breastfeeding ,just to sit around all day .Erm... No ! I wasn’t going to be guilt tripped into bottle feeding this time . The colostrum produced in the early days helped build up my baby’s immune system .The flow of colostrum was slow so that my baby could learn to nurse,a skill that required my baby to suck, breathe, and swallow. A skill that taught my baby coordination ,while teaching me patience .After 3–4 days of making colostrum,my breasts started to feel firmer. This too brought new problems to solve,my breasts would be hard bursting with a supply of milk ready to leak at the faintest movement .I would keep a wash cloth handy to place on my breast,the warmth of the hot towel soothing my mammary glands whilst cleaning the dried milk around my nipple. This nipple clean and ready ,i angled my baby gently on the pillow to latch on ,allowing my right hand free to drink my now tepid tea ....
Doula loves ❤
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