Which Professionals Should I Have On My Postpartum Team?
-
Unknown Speaker 0:01
Whether you're postpartum for the first time or the fifth time, you need support during this time. Today's episode is all about types of providers who can be part of your postpartum team, for your personal support and also for your family support. Thanks for joining me this is Kaely Daily Doula Tips and Tits
Unknown Speaker 0:26
Welcome to Doula Tips and Tits, the podcast where I answer one question about pregnancy postpartum or lactation. This is a space where it's safe to have questions and we're gonna give you real answers. We're not going to beat around the bush or give you what we want you to know we're going to answer in an evidence based way. I'm Kaely Harrod an experienced doula, mom of three lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I started this work in part because of my own lack of answers in my journey of pregnancy and birth. And I'm on a mission for families to be well informed and well supported through this time. This is a space where you will learn about questions that you didn't even know that you should be asking and have answers to ones that you're already asking. The whole purpose here is for you to feel a bit more educated and informed and competent in this journey that often feels very new, and a little bit disconcerting. If you have not already I would love for you to subscribe to this podcast so that you get updates when there are new episodes, or head to our website, Harrod Doula Services .com to subscribe to our email updates so that you get notifications when we have a new episode out. Thank you for joining us today.
Unknown Speaker 1:44
Hello, and welcome back to Kaely Daily. Today's question is all about postpartum time. So which providers can I have on my team in the postpartum time? Now, there is, of course, a variety of folks who would be needed in a postpartum time depending on how it's playing out. So I'm going to give you an overview today, and also add some nuance to when I think these folks are needed. Okay. Now, I'm going to start with providers who would benefit any family.
Unknown Speaker 2:23
And I will tell you just from the back just from the get go off right off the bat is I just combined those two sentences, that not all of these providers are, are usually a part of a postpartum team. So I wouldn't expect that someone would have every single one of these folks. But the thought is that you can kind of go with this list and think, Okay, well, which one of these feels like the kind of provider that we need? Now, some of these I think everyone should have, right? I think everyone could benefit from most of these. But I don't want you to leave this episode thinking like, oh my goodness, I have to have enough time or finances or whatever it is to be able to hire 11 different professionals for the postpartum time. Okay, so just I'm just starting with that. So don't listen to this with overwhelm, listen to it with
Unknown Speaker 3:21
kind of an open mind to who you could potentially have on your team. Okay. So to start with, I obviously am a postpartum doula. And I think postpartum doulas are magic. We serve kind of a special space for education and support. So again, as always, a doula is kind of centering the family and person that they're supporting. We bring a lot of expertise, but also a ton of compassion. And so our role is both educational, practical and emotional. And that gives you kind of a warm hug in terms of Postpartum Support. So typically, a postpartum doula support is in your home. Usually, we're coming to you. Occasionally, maybe it's, it's virtual only depending on what you're wanting and needing I, for instance, have a postpartum texting ability. And so that's a package that people can
Unknown Speaker 4:17
hire me for. But most of my postpartum work is done in a person's home. Now, another kind of alternative to a postpartum doula is a postpartum coach. And we're actually going to hear from one during this postpartum series. I have an interview coming with a postpartum coach, I'm super pumped about it because I think what she offers is lovely and an entirely virtual so it's also a great fit. If you either don't want someone in your house, or you don't live close enough to someone to to be able to hire like a postpartum doula in person. And so that's another another term parenting coach that you maybe haven't heard of postpartum coach or postpartum.
Unknown Speaker 5:00
I'm guide sort of. So another person would be
Unknown Speaker 5:07
a therapist now, or a counselor or psychiatrist, right? Like those are kind of mental health providers. And I firmly am on the side of, we would mostly all benefit from mental health providers, even if we don't feel like we classify as a particular definition of something, right. So you don't have to officially think you have postpartum depression or anxiety, in order to have some support. The postpartum time is a lot. It's overwhelming, it's exhausting. And so to have some time, where you have some dedicated space for yourself is important and helpful. Now, also, people do deal with postpartum mental health problems, right. And that is something that needs to be talked about needs to be addressed. And in that situation, a mental health provider is imperative, and not just kind of an extra wonderful resource. So I do think having a mental health professional on the team is always a good idea. Most insurance plans cover that. So it also makes it a much more accessible person to have on the team. And I highly recommend that.
Unknown Speaker 6:24
We'll be right back after this word from our sponsor.
Unknown Speaker 6:29
The birth prep blueprint course is a guide from pregnancy to postpartum, giving you the confidence to walk through this journey. However it might play out. It is pre recorded on demand content. So you do not have to fit your busy schedule around a class or meeting time, you can go back and revisit the lessons as much as you need to. And you can watch or listen to them on your own time. This curriculum has left many families feeling confident in their decisions, knowing what questions to ask their providers, and knowing when they should be concerned in all of these periods. One of the biggest parts of this work in terms of preparing families and walking through this journey is knowing that you have a guide to rely on. And that's exactly what this class is. Students have told me they felt like I was walking them along a path to know what to watch for and what to not be worried about. Because you are here as a listener, you will get the opportunity to have a 10% off discount on this class, that code is podcast, it is in the show notes as well, along with the link to use to check out for the class, I do really recommend that you go give it a look. Because it is going to make you feel more prepared calm and confident for your birthing experience.
Unknown Speaker 7:47
Welcome back, we're going to begin by talking about all people that are some kind of physical modality. So think about the fact that your pregnancy has been long, right? It has been a lot on your body, it has been
Unknown Speaker 8:06
a lot on your hormones, it has been something that your whole system has been consumed with for quite a while. And on the one hand, you should be incredibly proud of that, like you did this thing and you did it really well. And on the other hand, you need to set your body up to heal from it. Because there is actually a lot of healing that goes into the postpartum time, outside of just the fact that your uterus was full of a baby. Okay. And I think we tend to sort of focus our postpartum time on like the external pelvic floor, or on the uterus or on the abdomen muscles. But there are so many other parts of our bodies that are impacted by the size and shape and location of the baby when they are on the inside. And so when when they're born when they're on the outside, then our bodies really do need a lot of support. So providers that I personally find incredibly helpful and would recommend for a postpartum time period are chiropractors. Now you want to be sure that you're finding a chiropractor who is well versed in pregnancy and postpartum time, so not just any chiropractor, but someone who knows Webster techniques, for instance, or who is
Unknown Speaker 9:23
trained in infant chiropractic is a great person because usually, if they're trained in infant chiropractic, they are also trained in postpartum and prenatal chiropractics. So that's a good thing to look for. A massage therapist, again, with training in prenatal and postpartum work.
Unknown Speaker 9:43
And acupuncturist, again, with the prenatal and postpartum experience,
Unknown Speaker 9:51
and a pelvic floor PT now, I want to just hone in on this one for a minute. So pelvic floor PT, we sometimes
Unknown Speaker 10:00
Don't talk about this for folks who've had a C section. And I think pelvic floor PT is already something that's not talked about enough, but especially not talked about when we sort of discount the fact that someone had a birth through their abdomen rather than through their birth canal. But going back to the fact that you have been pregnant, and you've been carrying this heavy baby, in your abdomen, your pelvic floor has been impacted by that. your pelvic floor organs, your bladder, your rectum, your uterus, your vagina, all of that has been impacted by the fact that you've had a baby in your abdomen, okay. So every person who is in the postpartum time could benefit from at least having an evaluation from a pelvic floor, physical therapist. Now many insurance plans do cover pelvic floor PT. However, not all pelvic floor PTs take insurance as like an in network provider. So that's something that you might need to look into. But most insurance plans do cover it. And in many areas, there are people who can support you. There are also many postpartum pelvic floor PTs, who do some telehealth work. And so PT, pelvic floor PT is something that is really, really beneficial to be done in person. But if you do not have the opportunity to do it in person, then you can reach out for some virtual support. I'm going to leave in the show notes. One program in particular that is entirely virtual, that's called Happy sneeze. And I am so excited about that name. Because in our conversations around parents, we often joke about sneezing and peeing, but that is not necessary, nor should it be the norm. But incontinence is such a big part of the postpartum time for many people. And something that can be addressed. So happy sneeze is a great program for folks who are
Unknown Speaker 12:15
who are not able to have in person pelvic floor PT. So I will put their information in the show notes, so you have it. But there are other options as well. So the last individual on my list, last like professional on my list is an ibclc. Now that acronym stands for an international board certified lactation consultant. Now, my hope is that in the next couple weeks, we will have an interview with a an ibclc. So you can hear a little bit more about who they are and what they do, et cetera.
Unknown Speaker 12:50
But they are all about lactation stuff. So anything with pumping anything with milk supply, anything with latching anything along those lines, an ibclc is your person to talk to, they are not experts in formula. So many times, they are only going to be a good guide for families who are choosing human milk or chest feeding or breastfeeding. So that's something just to be aware of that that's really their, like sort of area of expertise. Just like some of the others I've mentioned. ibclc can be both telehealth and in person, oftentimes covered by insurance. But again, not all ibclcs are in network with insurance. So that's something to look into and to talk to people about when you're looking for someone to work with.
Unknown Speaker 13:38
If you are in the DC area, or if you are looking for telehealth support and any of these modalities, I have a whole list of referrals and recommendations for professionals that I would be happy to share with you.
Unknown Speaker 13:56
What I have not mentioned on this list, what you might notice is that your doctor is not on here right. Now, that is not because I don't think you should have postpartum support from your provider. But this list is intended to be other people that you might not already be planning to have postpartum support from. If you're giving birth with a doctor or an OB GYN or a midwife. Those teams should have a postpartum plan for when they're going to see you many times it's six weeks postpartum, or at two weeks and six weeks postpartum, we could have a whole discussion about whether that should be more frequent or not. But your provider should be automatically giving you that instruction. So that's my anticipation that they will tell you when they want to see you and therefore I have not included them on this list because I anticipate that you will already know that that's someone that you need to see where these other folks are kind of long term like on
Unknown Speaker 15:00
Going support rather than just like a brief follow up after birth, okay.
Unknown Speaker 15:07
So that is all for today. Now we are officially branching into the postpartum series. So you will be excited to hear that we have a bunch of guests that are coming on. And I'm so pumped about it because I love for you to get introduced to different people, and to be able to learn from a wide variety of folks. And so stay tuned for that and make sure that you're around to hear all the different postpartum answers.
Unknown Speaker 15:35
This has been Kaely Daily Doula Tips and Tits. I'm so glad that you were here joining us today. I am not your medical provider. And so all of this information is intended to be educational and entertainment. Please use it as such. And if you have questions about your own medical health, or need recommendations from your own provider, please do speak to them. This is not intended to replace them in any way. We are so happy that you are here joining us in this walk through pregnancy postpartum and lactation. Please take a second to like and subscribe, leave a positive review. That is how other families get to hear about us and get to learn from all the answers that we have here on this podcast. As always, I would really love to connect with you. I love answering questions. I know that you know that because you are here, but I would love to hear what your questions are. So if I have not yet answered them on the podcast, I would love to add them to the list of questions to be answered. please do reach out to me on Instagram or via email Kaely at Herat, doula services.com so that I can answer whatever question you have, and so that I can hear the feedback that you have about the podcast. Until we meet again, I wish you well informed consent filled birth and postpartum experiences
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
There are many helpful professionals that can be a part of your postpartum time. This list is not exhaustive, but it is a good starting place to consider who you may want to have on your team. In coming episodes we will be hearing from a number of these professionals so stay tuned for that!
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Providers who are good to consider:
Postpartum Doula
Counselor or Therapist
Chiropractor
Pelvic Floor PT
Massage Therapist
Acupuncturist
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
RESOURCES
FREE Ultimate Postpartum Checklist Bundle
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/free-guide
Happy Sneeze Pelvic Floor PT:
CONNECT with Kaely on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
This podcast is hosted by the Birth Prep Blueprint - comprehensive Childbirth Education for expectant parents to feel calm, prepared and confident about labor and birth. Podcast listeners (that’s YOU!) get 10% off! Use the link below and coupon code PODCAST
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/birth-prep-blueprint
** The Birth Prep Blueprint is offered for only $20 to anyone who qualifies for any kind of social services (meaning that a family has a lower income to the point that they would qualify for WIC or SNAP or Medicaid, etc.). No need to disclose your income, just which service you qualify for and the link can be sent right over. Just email kaely@harroddoulaservices.com to learn more.
If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
