I offer practical and emotional support to the new mother and father in the home following the birth of the baby as a postnatal doula. My work is about empowering a family to take care of itself and I facilitate this by helping mothers to relax, enjoy their baby and find their own way of mothering. With the help of a postnatal doula a mother can enjoy some of the benefits of a prolonged "lying in" period.

Postnatal doula support can help in the following ways:

• Time to bond with your baby and spend extra time with any older siblings.
• Support in establishing feeding with the new baby whichever method you choose.
• I would make sure that the family had supplies in the fridge and cupboards and am willing to do light housework.
• I could take the baby out while the mother gets some rest or has a relaxing bath.
• A listening ear whilst you debrief your birth experience or as a sounding board for your feelings about new motherhood.

This service would usually last between 10 days and 2 months depending on the what the family feels is best. Most families ask a postnatal doula to pop in for a few hours a day, for 2 or 3 days out of the week. I do request a minimum of 4 hours a week and this can be distributed as best suits the family.