By MAISIE KEITH DALY
Contributing Writer

This article is a reprint of an original article that recently appeared in Fosters Daily Democrat. 

When Anne Sudduth of Portsmouth was getting ready to have her second daughter, she didn't want the support of a doula in delivery and labor as much as after the birth. And there too, she had particular needs.

"For me, with my second child, I didn't need help with the baby — holding the baby, feeding the baby, washing the baby. Those were all things I wanted to do. I couldn't wait to spend time with the baby."

For Sudduth, it was the other demands on her time that she felt would be a challenge. She wanted someone who would come to help her with her older daughter, her dog, food, laundry, and answering the phone.

She decided to hire postpartum doula Susan Remillard.

One of the most helpful things Remillard did, according to Sudduth, was to come to the house for a meeting before the birth.

"She got to know how I did the laundry, where I kept things," food preferences, including her older daughter's allergies.

"So when she came, she knew where things were," and what to do. Sudduth didn't have to tell her what she wanted to eat, or not to put her older daughter's tights in the dryer. Instead, the second-time mother could go upstairs and take a shower and "come down and there would be this lovely meal ... everyone was so happy."

Remillard also helped, Sudduth added, by "heaping attention and love" on her older daughter.

Remillard, who lives in Kittery Point, Maine, feels one strength of a postpartum doula is flexibility.

"When you first come home, the logistics are so overwhelming. You can't even find time to take a shower. The time is so busy."

"I'll organize the house," said Remillard, "screen visitors, take calls. Someone will call and say 'what can I do? I'll say '[the new mother] could really use a run to the grocery' ... I shield her from the world."

Like the birth doula, the postpartum doula is trained. One important area of knowledge is breastfeeding. Sudduth was appreciative of her doula's input. h, "[Susan] was so knowledgeable about breastfeeding ... she really knew what she was talking about."

With the pressure some new mothers feel to get back to work and back into their size 2's, anxiety and depression can occur. A large part of postpartum doula training is postpartum depression counseling and screening.

Susan Remillard sees a lot of potential depression. "There's a fine line," she said, "between the baby blues and when something is really wrong."

Often, Remillard feels, "I'm just there to listen." Isolation can increase the risk of postpartum depression.

"I'm not a psychologist," Remillard said, "But it's amazing the more work I do, the more I find it helps to say, 'I had a client who felt just like you.' It just makes them feel better."

For a postpartum doula, fees range but the average seems to be $25 an hour.

Again, some doulas will work with new parents on a payment plan.

For Remillard, sometimes after asking for a brochure, a mother-to-be will have financial concerns, such as, "my husband is worried because we're going back to one income..." but Remillard reassures them, "we can work it out."

Remillard says, "Some people think that doulas are for the rich. But we're doing this because we love it."

With a 3 ½ year old and a baby of 15 months, Anne Sudduth says a doula is "thinking about you so that you can take care of your family."

When looking for a doula, Sudduth advises finding "a person who matches your personality," and one who is "clear on the expectations, what are they willing to do, the scope of work."

About her choice, Sudduth says, "Susan is a lovely, wonderful, caring, thoughtful presence. She really helped us transition" into having one more person in the family.

Remillard's advice to new mothers? "The baby is going to grow up in a heartbeat. Get cozy ... enjoy it."