Parent Magazines’ Holly Pevzner interviews Aliza Bancoff, founder of International Doula Institute about postpartum doulas:
“There once was a village. Then there was just you and your partner. But today, more and more new moms are discovering a somewhere-in-between solution that involves hiring a care specialist for the baby (and new mom) to help out in the days and weeks following birth. Find out if you should consider hiring a postpartum doula.
What is a postpartum doula?
“A postpartum doula is a professional support person who’s trained to help not only the baby, but the family as well, in the days or months after birth,” says Aliza Bancoff, a birth and postpartum doula in Philadelphia and founder of International Doula Institute, an online training and certification program. Doulas provide education about infant care, like how to burp and bathe your baby. They look after your newborn so you can rest and recharge, knowing your little one is in good hands. “We also offer support in the practical side of things: Laundry, dishes, housework, cooking, errands,” says Bancoff. “Essentially, we mother the new mother, nurturing her so she can nurture her precious new baby.” (A baby nurse, on the other hand, solely focuses on the baby’s needs.)”
Read the entire article here:
http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/doula/should-you-hire-a-postpartum-doula/
Author: Aliza Juliette Bancoff
Aliza Juliette Bancoff is a well-known doula and doula trainer who has been providing doula services to families for over a decade. She is the founder of Main Line Doulas, a doula group providing doula support in the great Philadelphia area for the last decade, the International Doula Institute, which provides online doula training and lactation training and certification programs and the International Breastfeeding Institute which provides lactation training and certification. She is the co-founder of United Birth, a company devoted to increasing access to doulas across the country to make the perinatal time safer both physically and emotionally. “Every birthing person deserves access to quality doula support. And we are working to make that a reality across the country. The work we are doing to get doulas to every birthing person will decrease the black infant and maternal mortality rate significantly by 2030.” Says Bancoff. Aliza is known for her compassionate and empowering approach to doula work, and she has been featured in numerous media outlets, including United Nations Maternal Health Report, Parent Magazine, CafeMom, theBump and many more. Aliza's journey into doula work began when she gave birth to her first child and felt a strong calling...