What is a postpartum doula, what they do and how they can help 2026

Throughout pregnancy, or even long before, it is normal to find out about all the changes that usually occur during pregnancy, the medical tests that are carried out, what habits can be counterproductive and which are beneficial... And, as the pregnancy progresses, it is also common to plan for the arrival of childbirth.

It is true that labor, and childbirth itself, can end up being enormously exhausting, not only physically but also mentally. And it is, even if the mother gives birth within a few hours from the moment her water broke and she began to dilate.

Amazon Essentials by Sofia Grainge - Summer 2026 Promotion

A postpartum doula can be of some help when it comes to providing the support that the mother needs in that delicate moment that is the hours and days after the birth of the baby, where fatigue and nerves are on the surface, even though the most normal thing is for the mother and father to feel immensely happy and cheerful.

Of course, as we will learn in detail in the next section, we should not confuse the work carried out by a postpartum doula with a birth doula, which mainly provides support both during labor and during the birth itself. Although it is true that, in most cases, it is the same doula who provides support in all three situations (labor, delivery and postpartum period).

What is a postpartum doula? What does it consist of?

Even if it is the first, second or third baby, all mothers agree that the postpartum period is a very important period of transition not only for them, but for their body and for the entire family in general.

In this way, while a birth doula provides the support that the mother needs not only during labor, but during the birth itself, the postpartum doula is responsible for providing the non-medical support necessary in those important days and weeks after childbirth.

It is a support that is not only physical, but also emotional, as well as informative. That is, a person trained to help families in the postpartum period, generally during the three months after the baby is born.

What does a postpartum doula do? Why can it be useful?

The goal of the postpartum doula is to integrate the baby into the family, as well as help you find a way to find balance with the new member. In this way, it not only provides support to the mother, but also to partners, siblings and any other family member who needs it.

At the most basic level, for example, a postpartum doula provides support and information about the different practices associated with infant feeding, such as breastfeeding.

At the same time, it provides useful tips and tricks to calm the newborn when necessary, and deal with all the new responsibilities that come with the baby's arrival at home.

It can also help with physical or emotional recovery during the first days and weeks, especially at those times when mom needs a little extra help.

Benefits of having the help of a postpartum doula

In addition to, for example, fostering connection in a new and important stage of life when the mother may feel exhausted, tired, nervous, anxious and also quite isolated, the postpartum doula may also provide other added benefits.

For example, it can be quite helpful in achieving some success with breastfeeding, especially in the early days where some common problems may arise.

In this sense, a study published in 2018 found that those women who had received the help of a doula both before childbirth and during the postpartum period were more likely to breastfeed their babies, at least initially.

It can also be helpful in relieving anxiety, anguish and stress that the mother may feel in the first days, especially when she is a new mother and it is the first time she faces the uncertainty of bringing her newborn home.

Of course, it is necessary to take something fundamental into account: they never replace the work carried out by the midwife.