The 5 Professional Services I Hired After Having My First Baby Because I Don’t Have Family Support

Postpartum Doula

When I was learning more about the labor and delivery process, I learned that some people hire a doula, a non-medical person to support them during the birthing process. But I also learned that there are some doulas who offer postpartum support as well and can show up, after the baby is born, to assist the family with anything that they need.

I found a local postpartum doula and hired her to help us for the first 2 weeks with our baby, once a week, for 2 hours at a time. During that time, she showed us how to change diapers more efficiently, give the baby sponge baths, and helped with breastfeeding questions that I had. She also did light housework for us, like cleaning bottles and some of the baby’s laundry.

I found that having a postpartum doula come over during those first two weeks helped me feel more confident as a new mom.

Local Meal-Prep Chef

One of the biggest day-to-day pain points that my partner and I had, even before having a baby, was figuring out what to eat all day. Since neither of us like to cook, we have always found it difficult to come up with meals to eat.

After posting a question in a local Facebook group about any meal preparation services or personal chefs, I found someone who could prepare 3-4 meals for our family a week. Since this person made those same meals for other families in the neighborhood, the cost was significantly lower than having to hire a personal chef to come into our kitchen and cook from scratch.

As new parents, there are so many decisions you have to make all day long and having someone take away one of those decisions — figuring out what to eat — made life a little bit easier.

Housekeeper

Before having a baby, I found cleaning the apartment to be a relaxing chore that I looked forward to doing every night before going to bed. Once the baby arrived, not only did our small living space get significantly messier, but I no longer had an extra 30 minutes to clean, vacuum, organize, and dust every night.

Since having a clean apartment meant a lot to me, my husband and I set aside money so that every month we could afford to hire a housekeeper to come deep clean our apartment. That way, I could organize and vacuum when I found the time and not worry too much about the place being dirty for too long.

Postpartum Therapist

Before I gave birth, my doctor and a mom friend shared with me the importance of having personal support during the challenging and sleep-deprived days of having a newborn. I knew that with such a big life change, I wanted to make sure I was taking care of myself, and my mental health, as much as possible. I asked friends for recommendations for postpartum therapists and met with three for an initial consultation. I found one that I liked and started working with her right after having my baby.

During our sessions, I not only have a safe and private space to share what I’m going through and how I feel, but she gives me actionable and practical advice. Having a postpartum therapist has been helpful in making me feel less alone during an overwhelming time.

Dog Walker

I wanted to make sure that our three-year-old dog also received the support and attention she deserved when the baby arrived. She goes on three walks a day, which are all between 30 minutes and an hour long. Since my husband and I don’t have the time to take her on these long walks anymore, we hired a dog walker to come once a day to take her on an hour walk.

This lets our dog have the long afternoon walk she’s used to getting without my husband or me having to be away from the baby or the long list of tasks we have to get done at home.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: How to Prep a Small Apartment for a Baby, The Only 8 Maternity Clothing Items I Bought During All 9 Months of My Pregnancy, Unusual Things I Tried to Induce Labor and How Each One Made Me Feel

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