Introducing Thrive: Your Postnatal Experience Shaped Around You

14 hours ago

3 min read

There is something I've noticed again and again in my work as a postnatal doula.

It's not that the new mums don't want support.

It's that they often don't know what support is available to them.

When I had my own children, I didn't know about 90% of the support that exists for new mothers in the postnatal period. I didn't know about postnatal doulas, unfortunately for me.

Since working in the field that I do now, I know there are so many options for new parents to book to enhance their mental and physical wellbeing, take care of their babies, and understand and support their feeding journey.

Even if I'd known, I imagine that I would not have had the headspace to find them, compare them, make contact, organise appointments and work out what I actually need.

I was too tired, overwhelmed and just surviving each day.

I think this is something that happens to so many new parents.

You're suddenly responsible for this tiny person, your own body is recovering, your emotions feel all over the place, sleep is unpredictable and everyone is asking how the baby is doing.

Meanwhile, you're expected to somehow know what you need too.

You don't know what you don't know

One of my favourite parts of being a postnatal doula is signposting. I love connecting people.

A mum tells me she's struggling with something, or mentions a worry, a hope or something she'd like to feel better about and I can often think of someone who can help. Not because I'm there to tell he what she should be doing, quite the opposite.

My job isnt to tell you what to do. It's to understand what matters to you, listen, and hopefully work out what will make your life feel a little easier.

That might mean connecting you to a postnatal physio, massage therapist that comes to you, a nutritionist, meal delivery service, lactation consultant, osteopath, and many more.

That's where Thrive comes in.

Thrive is a part of my business designed to bring all those pieces together.

Rather than you having to search the internet at 2am, ask for recommendations, contact five different people and try to work out which bits of support might actually be useful, I can create the map for you. Beginning in pregnancy and by your side throughout the first couple of months postpartum.

My goal is to understand your hopes, concerns, real 'musts' in your posntatal experience and figure out what and who is best for you when baby arrives. The aim is to make the whole process feel simple, personal, and manageable. The last thing a new mum needs is another enormous list.

I'm here week on week

Once we're working together you will know that once a week you will have a weekly check in with me, whether its simply a text conversation, or a phone/video call so if anything changes, (and sometimes it does with new babies!) I can arrange for a new service or just be there to listen and hear you out while you're in the thick of it.