Postpartum doulas provide support to families who have recently welcomed a new addition. This can include postpartum education, overnight visits, and lactation support. Carrot member Lauren used her Carrot funds to hire a postpartum doula after giving birth to her second baby. She talked with us about how Carrot helped with her research process and the positive impact doula care had on her mental health and well-being.
How did you and your spouse first learn about Carrot?
My husband, Kyle, got an email from his work letting him know that there was a new fertility benefit available called "Carrot." I remember thinking that it was too late for us to benefit from a fertility service. I thought that it could have been nice to have prior to my being pregnant, but since I was already pregnant with our final child, I thought there would be no benefit to us. I didn't even look at the email for the first couple of months that Carrot was available to us.
Were you already interested in working with a doula before learning that Carrot offered support?
I didn't even know what a doula was prior to reading about the service on Carrot. I thought that a doula was just another person to attend the birth of a baby. I had no idea that a postpartum doula was a thing.
What was the first step you took? How did Carrot help?
The first step that I took was researching what a postpartum doula does and asking Carrot some clarifying questions. It seemed way too good to be true that we could have someone come in and help with the baby at no cost to us. After representatives from Carrot answered all of my questions, I felt comfortable moving forward with finding a postpartum doula.
Is there anything you would have had to do differently if you didn't have Carrot?
Without Carrot, I definitely would not have had the knowledge or funds to get a postpartum doula.
What was your experience like with your doula?
Our doula was absolutely amazing, and we were so happy to welcome her into our home. At first, I was a little apprehensive, but having a postpartum doula to help was a tremendous support. With my first daughter, I had postpartum anxiety that I attribute mostly to a lack of sleep. Knowing that I had support coming at night to help with our second daughter really helped me enjoy the newborn stage so much more than I would have otherwise.
What would you say to someone who was considering using Carrot and/or working with a doula?
I would say to make sure you find a doula that you are comfortable with, and then you should 100% go for it! Doula care was covered for us for the first six weeks of my daughter's life, and it made a tremendous impact on the quality of care that I was able to provide for my daughter. Getting the rest that I needed helped ease my anxiety and helped me function so much better than I did with my first, when I didn't have a postpartum doula.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I am so grateful to Carrot and to our postpartum doula for helping our transition from a family of three to a family of four go much more smoothly than it could have otherwise. The experience was really great!
If you want to learn more about bringing inclusive fertility benefits to your employees, get in touch with us.
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