Postpartum doulas helping new mothers, parents care for baby
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A company called "First Daze and Nightzzz" is offering new parents much needed help with their bundles of joy.
Pam Diamond is a postpartum doula and a baby sleep consultant, but to most of her clients, she's known by a simpler title.
"A lot of people call me the baby whisperer, but my goal really is to teach parents to be their own baby whisperers," Diamond explained. "I help families, after they have their babies, establishing feeding habits, healthy sleep habits, learning how to care for their newborn, how to comfort their baby."
It's a service Beth Johnson and her husband used after their son Orno was born a little over nine months ago.
"For me the hardest part of having a newborn was the mystery of all of it," Johnson admitted. "You read the books, you're Googling at 2 a.m., but it's so generic."
By getting doula support, Johnson said she felt she got a plan in place tailored to her son.
"That was really helpful at the beginning, but then we did call her to come back to do some sleep training at around 4 to 5-months-old," she said.
And that's another service the company provides -- sleep training for infants all the way up to preschool age.
When addressing sleep problems, Diamond said one thing they might do is have the sleep doula come in take a look at the sleep environment, and go over the baby's bedtime routine and give the parents some tips and a plan. They can even come and spend the night if necessary.
In Orno's case, Diamond came by and gave Johnson some basic tips including using black-out shades and a sound machine.
"I saw results almost immediately," Johnson exclaimed. "I mean it ebbs and flows with the teething and illnesses, but definitely his ability to get himself back to sleep without the rocking and the nursing was immediate."
The doulas travel all over the Triangle and beyond.
Simple postpartum visits are $25-$35 an hour. Sleep coaching involves set fees that cost a little more at anywhere from $160 to $2,000, depending on whether overnights are needed, how many, and for how many children.
However, Diamond says even in those extreme situations parents who have used her services tell her the cost is worth the peace of mind.
"There are many nights where I'm getting texts that bring tears to my eyes from people who are so happy that everyone is sleeping and they may have time with their husbands for the first time in 15 months," Diamond said.
For more information about the service, visit firstdaze.com. You can also contact Diamond via email at pdiamond@firstdaze.com or call (919) 274-0445.
