dou•la
/,dū’lah
noun • verb
supporter, educator, advocate for pregnant, birthing, adopting, surrogate, and postpartum people and families; change agent
A postpartum doula is a professional trained to work with a new mother through the period after birth. The postpartum period, sometimes called the fourth trimester, is the first 6 weeks after the birth of your baby.
Many postpartum doulas offer different services. However, typical postpartum doula support might include:
- Offering breastfeeding knowledge, support, and assistance
- Helping with newborn care, such as diaper changes, naps, and feedings
- Providing resources to related services, such as birthing classes or a lactation consultant
- Helping your family learn and become comfortable with baby soothing and bonding methods
- Caring for the baby so parents can take a nap, shower, or eat a meal
- Helping with mom’s post-birth comfort measures
- Offering physical support as mom recovers from a cesarean delivery
- Making breakfast, lunch, dinner, or healthy snacks
- Keeping mom hydrated and comfortable
- Playing with older children and helping with bedtime and naptime
- Taking care of light household cleaning, such as dishes, tidying up, and laundry
Research shows that parents who get support during the postpartum period benefit in several ways:
- They feel more cared-for and secure in their new roles.
- They adapt more easily to shifting family dynamics.
- They have more success when it comes to breastfeeding.
- Their self-confidence is higher.
- There’s a lower risk of postpartum depression.
- There are fewer incidents of abuse within the family.
Omaha Better Birth Project believes that a family’s income should not be a barrier to accessing these essential childbirth services. We help eliminate this barrier by providing grants to eligible families for postpartum doula services.
Eligibility:
- Must EITHER (1) meet the low-income criteria per the Nebraska WIC guidelines OR (2) be 19 years of age or less, AND
- Must be pregnant and planning to birth in the Omaha metro area, OR
- Must be less than 12 weeks postpartum
NOTE: Families who wish to have a Birth AND Postpartum doula must apply for BOTH grants. Receiving a birth doula grant does not enroll in or award the family a postpartum doula grant, or vice versa.
Requirements:
- Grant recipients are responsible for signing the grant agreement and submitting proof of income and identification documents.
- Grant recipients are responsible for hiring a professionally certified postpartum doula of their choice, ensuring the doula’s availability for the recipient’s estimated due date.
- Grant recipients are responsible for any cost of the hired doula beyond the grant value of $1,000.
- Grant recipients must notify Omaha Better Birth Project of their selected doula.
- Grant recipients must agree and commit to any contracts or agreements between the doula and themselves.
- Grant recipients must agree to complete a postpartum follow-up survey from Omaha Better Birth Project about their birth experience, outcomes, and the grant process.
The current grant value is $1,000 to be used toward the purchase of postpartum support services from any professionally certified doula serving the greater Omaha metro.
For questions, please email our Grants Program Coordinator at becky@omahabetterbirth.org.
Select a link below to learn about our other programs: