My birth experience was unexpected and did not give me time to prepare for anything, so I am coming at this review from the perspective of a person who just had family (specifically my mother and husband) as support. Although my uterus is retired from making babies, I do have so many friends and family members who need support, so I read books like this so that I can give actual helpful advice to those friends and family about to start their own families.
When I read New Mother: Using a Doula, Midwife, Postpartum Doula, Maid, Cook, or Nanny to Support Healing, Bonding and Growth, the book made it very clear that the support system we have in the West is lacking so much. Women are not getting the support they need by family and friends anymore. Even though that wasn’t true for me and some others, I was in agreement with that statement. I have seen my friends struggle from lack of support pre- and postpartum.
The solution Allie Chee offers is that this support system is now hire-able. She offers suggestions on what to look for when hiring your postpartum support team. My first thought is that the majority of people probably can’t afford to hire a team, or even one or two people, to care for you postpartum. Not that I disagree that this support is needed, I’m just not sure if it is possible for everyone to do so, so I think as a culture, if this is our new normal, we need to figure out how to provide this essential support without taking out loans.
So, if you are expecting and interested in learning more about using any of the postpartum services listed in the title, or if you are wondering what to look for during the hiring process, this is definitely the book for you!
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