Why Every Parent Deserves Postnatal Support

There’s a common belief that postnatal support – whether from a night nanny, maternity nurse, or doula – is a luxury: indulgent, not vital, or a sign you can’t cope alone.

Many parents I speak to feel guilt or shame about wanting some extra help, as if they should be able to manage on their own. But the reality is postnatal support in whatever form that looks like is essential for recovery, well-being and overall family stability and happiness.

Why Parents Feel Support is a Luxury

There are many reasons why you might feel that postnatal support is a luxury and therefore not for you. Maybe no one else you know has had any extra support, maybe you think it is going to be expensive and money is tight while you are on maternity leave. There is an expectation that becoming a mum is something natural and you should know what to do automatically as a good mother, there’s still pressure to be a “supermum” who can do it all without help. There is also a lack of awareness that support is out there beyond the postnatal check from a midwife, newborn visit from a health visitor and your GP. In other cultures it is the norm to have a period of time after giving birth where the mother is cared for by the rest of the family, provided with food and support, the household tasks are taken care of so the mother can give all her attention to the baby.

In the UK not so long ago, new parents would have had extended family around, but that’s rarely the case now.

The Costs of Not Having Support

 

Not having additional support puts more pressure on you. Your physical recovery can be slower and more difficult (regardless of the type of birth you have had). You are more at risk of postnatal depression or anxiety. This can strain your relationships and family life, with long-term impacts on your and your baby’s wellbeing.

Trying to care for a newborn while exhausted and unsupported can leave you feeling overwhelmed and isolated. It can become a vicious circle of not having any energy or motivation to go out, becoming more isolated, building up an idea of everyone else coping much better than you, not wanting to reach out for help, which reinforces the stress and pressure to keep going.

 

 

Why Postnatal Support is a Necessity

 

Birth isn’t just a physical (and often medical) event, it is a major life transition. Becoming a parent means a huge shift in identity and role, and your emotional wellbeing matters just as much as physical recovery. Postnatal support allows time for rest, bonding with your baby and help to adjust to new responsibilities.

My mental health-informed doula support provides both reassurance and emotional support as well as practical strategies.

 

 

How Support Can Look

 

Postnatal support isn’t one-size-fits-all – it can be as simple as having someone make you a cuppa and hold your baby so you can shower, or as in-depth as receiving specialist mental health care when things feel overwhelming. My role is to meet you where you are and provide the kind of support that makes the biggest difference for you and your family.

 

As a postnatal doula, I offer both emotional and practical support. That might look like listening as you process your birth experience, talking through your worries, offering information about newborn development, or providing practical reassurance  with feeding and baby care.

On a practical level, it can mean caring for your baby so you can sleep, eat, or take a much-needed break, or helping around the house with washing, tidying, and small tasks that lighten your load. Every family’s needs are different, and my support is always flexible and responsive to what feels most useful for you.

 

Alongside this, I bring my background in perinatal mental health to offer a more specialised layer of care. This can include comprehensive assessment and tailored support for parents experiencing distress, guidance around perinatal mental health conditions, and therapeutic communication to help you feel heard and understood. I can also offer psychoeducation, psychological interventions, relapse prevention strategies, and support with mother–infant bonding, always with an awareness of the hormonal, physical, and emotional shifts that come with pregnancy and postpartum.

 

Together, these two strands of my work mean you’re not just getting someone to help with the day-to-day, but also someone who deeply understands the emotional and psychological journey of early parenthood. Whether you need a listening ear, practical help, or skilled mental health support, you don’t have to carry it all alone.

 

 

Reframing the Investment

 

I feel strongly that postnatal support is not about “luxury” but is an essential part of the process of bringing a baby into the world. We wouldn’t think twice about budgeting for antenatal classes, prams, and cots – so why don’t we see postnatal support as just as important?

This support is part of preparing for the rest of your parenting journey, helping you build a stronger foundation for recovery and relationships. Even a few hours of support from a postnatal doula can have a huge ripple effect on the whole family’s wellbeing.

 

Postnatal support isn’t indulgent, and doesn’t mean you’ve failed – it’s vital.

If you’d like to explore how postnatal support could help your family, I’d love to chat.

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