Sunday, February 05, 2006

Still Waiting

Well, my client did not call her due date. It's two days past and we're still waiting. I thought for sure last night with a snowstorm blowing through the area and high winds today. "Baby energy" I call it. But nothing yet.

My other client, the one who delivered last week, continues to have great luck with her baby. The baby is nuring well, sleeping lots and seems healthy all the way around. Her largest issue is lack of support. She had family lined up to help around the house for a few weeks but by day 4 postpartum she found herself cooking dinner and serving the family member supposedly there to help.

I am putting her in touch with postpartum doulas.

I've said it before but it's just too bad that our culture and my generation's mothers' experiences have not put us in a good position to get support after we give birth.

2 Comments:

Blogger Milliner's Dream, a woman of many "hats"... said...

I had a client, one due again May, whom I am having to help find a new doula :( whose mother came to "help" and made for so much more work she asked her to leave after a week. (She was going to stay a MONTH.)

This time they haven't spoken since she told her mom she was expecting again and not welcome to come this at all, until invited when the new mother is ready sometime after she gives birth.

There is an advantage to cultures where women are revered as new mothers, for those who have large (cooperative) families, or those who have church-families who send meals and help in the first few weeks!

Hh

4:53 PM  
Blogger Bkbuds said...

I had a C-section for both my kids and was back on my feet the second I arrived home. No help. Zero.

I'll spare you the horror stories of my mother's so-called "help" or the case of nerves/stress that sidelined my husband (both times!) but the bottom line is that I had to double up on the Darvoset and stagger through the days and nights until some sort of routine set in and I could cope.

Our society stinks at helping new mothers. Families don't even remember how.

10:36 AM  

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