A Newborn Bath and a Nap: A Postpartum Doula Visit

For some families, the first few weeks home with a new baby can be so rough.

This story is about Divyam* and Akshi*, new parents who booked a consultation with me because they were having a hard time with their 2-week-old son. We decided to schedule an evening visit from 6 - 9 pm because their baby tended to cry a lot in the evening.

At the start of our visit, we discussed how the weekend had been. Luckily, breastfeeding had been improving and Akshi was feeling a lot less pain while feeding, so they were needing to supplement with formula less.

Our main focus of the visit was giving baby his first bath! I love helping out clients with their baby’s first bath because it is such a sacred moment. Once the tub was set up, I invited Akshi to place her baby in the tub, and placed a wash cloth on baby’s chest to keep him warm. I demonstrated how to wash the front of his body, his bum, and his back, and then let Akshi and Divyam take over.

When he was all clean, and starting to cry because his wet hair was cold, I transferred him to the towel and dried him off. I covered him in baby oil and dressed him quickly so he got all cozy. He was pretty tuckered out from the experience and continued to cry a bit, so I bounced him to sleep.

Divyam told me their baby wasn’t sleeping well in the crib. I realized the best way for me to help this family was to hold their son through his nap to ensure he had a solid sleep. Akshi and Divyam took the opportunity to nap, do some work, and eat dinner while I held, rocked, and soothed their baby.

Sometimes what you really need from a doula is someone who’s willing to get nap-trapped, so you don’t have to be!

*Names have been replaced for client confidentiality