Post partum doula/night nanny?

legaleagles

Did any of you hire a PP doula or night nanny? My DH is likely only taking 2-3 weeks off (3 if I have a c/s, 2 if vaginal delivery) and will then take another 2-3 weeks off in a few months when things quiet down at work. I had some PPD and PPA after my daughter was born so I'm thinking a PP doula or nigh nanny might be a good idea a few days a week. But what can they really help with? We'll be having the boys room in with us, but the PP doula I spoke with said she could come a couple of nights/week and be with them in another room or in the nursery and bring them to me when they need to nurse and that then I'd get a night or two of good sleep (and work on them transitioning to their crib, which took us a long time with DD). DD was a loud sleeper and i often couldn't sleep through her noises so I'm thinking this could be good to just get a couple of nights/week. But what would the doula do during the day? How did she help you? How long did you have yours? How many days/week?

I've spoken with a popular/well regarded doula today and we're meeting next week in person. Any good questions to ask?

LittleLady77

Hi lady . My cousin who had twins with his partner had a night nanny and swore by it. Obviously they couldn't nurse so FFing the babies was part of the reason one worked out well for them. I'm hiring a mommy helper during the day to stay with me, chat, help keep the house clean, change diapers, make food etc. I had the same concerns about a night nurse so we went with the day time approach. Good luck with the meeting, I hope you find someone you love.

caden

I had a post-partum doula come once a week at night. If I could have afforded it, I'd have had her come every night. It was heavenly to get a good night's sleep even once a week. That said we bottle fed (I pumped at that time) and my babies slept in their nursery from day 1. If your kids are sleeping next to you and BFing there would be no point to having a night nanny. Even just BFing, I don't know that you'll gain enough to make the expense worth it. But it's worth a try I think. Switch to day help if you find you aren't benefitting much from the night help.

caden

ETA: my doula came until my babies STTN. During the night she did light cleaning/organizing and the laundry. During the day she did that plus deal with the babies. I usually left the house when she came during the day.

SV917

I think her helpfulness would depend on how well the babies sleep. I have an occasional bad night here and there, but for the most part they go back down easily after a MOTN feed. A night doula wouldn't be very helpful, but if they struggled to go back to sleep, handing them off to someone after a feed would be a lifesaver.

PurpleIris30

Can you wait until after they are here or is it something you need to decide now?

If you plan to breastfeed, it would not be helpful in my opinion, because you'd need to pump if they were getting a bottle because that's the crucial time for developing enough supply for two.

If you formula feed, then it might be helpful depending on your babies and how well they sleep ( or go back to sleep).

pillowass

I had a PP doula who came during the day for 3-4 hours at a time a couple of times a week. Mine had a ton of multiples experience so she gave me great tips on the logistics of 2 - she let me try her slings, helped me brush up on my swaddling, and showed me some tandem feeding tricks. (I FF, but she was also a LC as many of them are, which may come in handy if you BF). 

I think they will take their cues from you and try to do whatever is helpful. I used the time to get stuff done - go out for a walk, clean, shower, sleep. Usually she managed to cook me something. Other moms want the doula to help out with household stuff so they can focus on the babies - they will do laundry, wash bottles, etc. 

legaleagles

Thanks everyone. We can definitely decide what we want/need as we go and it may change over time. I definitely want some additional help during the days (especially days my DD is with my mom), but hadn't considered anyone at night since we will be rooming in and BF (but maybe having her with them a night or two a week and only bringing them to me to nurse could help with my sleep, especially if they take a lot of work to get back to sleep).

Some additional help, I think a few days a week will be really helpful, especially from someone that has twins experience (and for some help around the house).

macchiatto

We didn't have one b/c we couldn't have afforded it but honestly, that sounds wonderful.

DH only took 10 days off after our boys were born and then returned to work FT, but we split the night shift evenly until the boys started STTN at 4.5m.

Rachiemoo

My older daughter was almost 2.5 yo when my twins were born.  I had a night nanny who came from 11pm-7am every night for about 3 months, and then after that a few times a week for another month.  I had them sleep in their own room and the night nanny would be in their room.  I would pump a bottle for each of them so that I could go to bed at 11pm and the night nanny would feed them the bottle for the first wake up, then she would bring them to me for the second wake up to nurse.  This way I would get a good 6 or 7 hour stretch of sleep per night.  I had my older daughter in a preschool program for 4 hours in the morning and then I had family helping me for the first few months.  After about 3 months of day time family help I got a live in nanny who helps me during the week days (she goes home on the weekends).  My husband works long hours and travels often so he is not home very much at all during the week.  This set up worked well for me.  Best of luck to you.

TobieRose

My post-partum doula was great. She cleaned my kitchen, did my laundry, picked up groceries for me, held babies so I could put DS1 down for a nap, helped set me up for tandem breastfeeding, changed diapers, bathed the babies, and watched them so I could take a nap. She also had a lot of good advice for managing the postpartum days.