Postnatal 'Full immersion' Doula Course
Mothers-to-be and partners often prepare in great depth and detail for labour and birth, only to be shocked by the realities of early parenting and the huge transitions which occur. There is a deep cultural and societal pressure to get back to ‘normal’, in which women and birthing people are conditioned to pride themselves on the speed of recovery of both their figures and of getting back out into the world.
A gentle recovery is key to building a good parenting relationship and we have lost our traditions of laying in, our sisterhoods of support and our sense of value around slow living, bonding and connection.
The lack of any practice within our culture which not only supports but celebrates and respects the mother, is something which we intend to change.
Our postnatal training course invites you to step into the role of helping us to reclaim this transition as a rite of passage, to become part of a community of women who support and nurture the newborn mother, partner and baby, as they are the representatives of our future.
Postnatal Full Immersion Course Curriculum
- Debriefing the Mother blueprint and exploring the Maternal line: An opportunity to consider the ways in which our mothers and their mothers recovered from birth, and how those stories helped to shape our own.
- Story sharing: Taking the time to share our own postnatal stories.
- The role of the Postnatal Doula: What can/can’t a Postnatal Doula offer? Considering your remit, your boundaries and your relationships as a PN Doula.
- Breastfeeding: Finding your own stance between knowledge-sharing and signposting, separating our own stories from those of whom we serve, exploring techniques, biological nurturing, considering the social and political aspects of this act of nature.
- Bottle feeding: Discussion around safe practices of formula preparation and feeding.
- Babycare and newborn needs: Spending time looking at the basics of newborn care, alongside the many pathways and choices available for today’s parents.
- Supporting new fathers, partners and siblings: Considering ways in which we can best support the whole family and meet their differing needs during this transition, empowering, educating, supporting and nurturing them during this powerful time of adjustment.
- Complementary Postnatal practices: Including scarf swaddling massage, Yoni steaming, sitz bathing, belly binding and more.
- Working with families with complex needs: Considering what we might offer when working with those who live with extra challenges.
- Nutrition as an element of postnatal recovery: Discussing the varying food traditions from other cultures as we prepare either a tea, smoothies, lactation cookies or a groaning cake (venue dependent).
- Understanding physical and emotional changes in newborn mothers: Looking at hormonal dips and sore bits, remedies and relief.
- Placenta uses and benefits: A great opportunity to learn the many uses and benefits of placentas.
- All of our courses have a small piece of reflective pre-coursework for you to complete, but not to hand in, just to initiate a reflective practice and then 3 short pieces of post-coursework which are to hand in, but can be completed by voice note, artwork or in writing.
