You’re about to have a baby. And you’re starting to think: “What kind of help am I going to need?”

Maybe your mother is planning to stay with you. Maybe you’ve got a partner at home. Maybe you’re considering hiring help. Maybe you’ve heard about doulas, and you’re wondering: what exactly is a doula, and how is that different from the other support I’ll have?

Here’s the thing: postpartum support comes in many forms. And they’re all valuable. It’s important to know how they all differ!

Understanding what each type of support offers—and doesn’t—helps you figure out what you actually need.

The Different Types of Postpartum Support

Family & Partner Support

Your partner, mother, in-laws, siblings, friends—these are the people who care about you and want to help.

What they offer:

• Practical help (meals, laundry, dishes, errands)
• Companionship and emotional connection
• Help with child/ pet care and household tasks
• Love and investment in your wellbeing

Limitations:

• They’re often learning alongside you (if it’s their first grandchild or they haven’t cared for new families & young children in a while)
• They might have opinions about “the right way” to parent that differ from yours
• They have their own emotional stakes in the situation (grandparents might be excited, partners might be tired)
• They can’t be impartial or objective when family dynamics are involved
• ·They might not have formal training in post-birth recovery, postpartum wellbeing, or newborn care

Best for:

• Long-term emotional support and practical help
• Company and connection
• The people who know you and love you

OBGYN or Midwife

Your (primary)healthcare provider—whether an Obstetrician, Midwife, or Family Doctor—is monitoring your physical recovery from birth. 

What they offer:

• Clinical assessment of your physical healing
• Monitoring of complications like infection, bleeding, or wound healing issues
• Diagnosis and treatment of postpartum conditions
• Prescriptions for pain, infection, or other medical issues
• Screening for postpartum depression and anxiety at specific appointments
• Connection to mental health or lactation specialists if needed
• Guidance on activity level, exercise, and physical recovery

What’s different about midwives specifically:

Midwives often bring a different model of care to the postpartum period. Many midwife practices provide:

• Multiple (in-home!) postpartum visits in the first weeks (not just the standard 6-week checkup)
• Longer appointment times to discuss feeding, emotional well-being, and practical concerns
• Holistic perspective on postpartum recovery (physical, emotional, and practical)
• Familiarity with you from pregnancy and birth, creating continuity
• Specialized knowledge in normal postpartum variations and common challenges
• Often available by phone or text for non-emergency questions between visits
• May offer community or group postpartum visits where you connect with other new parents

The reality: BC is currently facing a critical shortage of OBGYNs, midwives, and maternity nurses (as of January 2026). This staffing gap means longer wait times, fewer available appointments, and stretched healthcare providers. It’s one reason why additional support—like a doula—has become so essential for families navigating postpartum care.

Limitations (all providers):

• The medical model focuses on clinical markers, not your daily experience or nuanced needs
• Limited time at standard appointments to discuss emotional or practical challenges
• Not trained in broader postpartum emotional support or life adjustment
• Can’t provide ongoing daily monitoring or flexible scheduling
• Referral-based model means you need to recognize a problem and ask for help

Best for:

• Medical complications or concerns
• Physical healing and recovery monitoring
• Clinical screening for postpartum mood disorders
• Professional referrals to specialists

Doula

A doula is a trained, experienced birth and postpartum support person. They provide emotional, physical, educational, and logistical support during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum—without performing medical tasks or replacing your healthcare team.

What a doula offers:

• Presence and emotional support (someone who’s just there for you and your partner)
• Validation of your experience (what you’re feeling is normal)
• Practical guidance on feeding, newborn care, recovery, and decision-making
• Help processing birth and postpartum experiences
• Continuity and relationship (same person/people, getting to know you over time)
• Advocacy and communication with your healthcare team
• Non-clinical, holistic perspective on your whole wellbeing
• Flexible, responsive support, freeing you up to rest, shower, eat, and take care of your personal needs
• Help navigating conflicting advice and support to make decisions aligned with your values
• Referrals to other healthcare providers, wellness practitioners, and avenues to access individual healing needs, like all the people listed below!
• Confidence-building and reassurance during vulnerable moments

What a doula doesn’t do:

• Diagnose or treat medical conditions (but will encourage you to seek professional help)
• Provide childcare or household help as their primary role (though they can and will help with light household tasks + sibling care needs). At Brood, sibling care is available at an extra hourly rate.
• Replace medical care or mental health treatment
• Tell you what to do (instead, they help you figure out what’s right for you)

Best for:

• Emotional support, confidence building and validation during your perinatal journey
• Practical guidance and tutorials on newborn care, feeding, and recovery
• Decision-making support
• Processing your birth experience
• Feeling less alone during a vulnerable time
• Continuity of care and relationship
• Holistic, person-centred support that honours your experience

Lactation Consultant

A lactation consultant (or IBCLC) is an expert in breastfeeding/ nursing and feeding support.

What they offer:

• Assessment of latch and milk supply
• Troubleshooting feeding pain or challenges
• Guidance on exclusive nursing, pumping, and combination feeding
• Connection to resources for specific feeding situations
• Education on positioning, frequency, and infant cues

Limitations:

• Focused specifically on feeding (not broader postpartum support)
• Often called in after a problem arises (not preventive)
• May not be covered by insurance or available immediately
• Can be expensive without insurance coverage ($150-300+ per visit)
• Have limited training and capacity to provide ongoing emotional or practical support
• Limited availability in some areas (geographically)

Best for:

• Feeding challenges or concerns (pain, supply, latch)
• Milk supply questions
• Introduction to pumping
• Support for combination feeding or weaning

Nanny

A nanny, or postpartum childcare provider, comes to your home to help with childcare and household tasks.

What they offer:

• Hands-on childcare and household help
• Practical tasks (laundry, meals, dishes, organizing)
• Baby care assistance (diaper changes, soothing, bathing)
• Freeing you up to rest, shower, or eat
• Often trained in young child care needs and basic infant CPR
• Light meal prep and household management

Limitations:

• Employment-based relationship (they work for you, not with you)
• May have different approaches or philosophies than you do
• Limited emotional support or guidance on your experience
• Not trained in postpartum recovery, perinatal health, or emotional well-being
• Turnover is common (harder to build continuity)
• Focused on task management, not your holistic needs

Best for:

• Practical household help
• Childcare support
• Freeing up time for you to rest and recover
• Managing the daily logistics of a new baby

Therapist or Counsellor

A therapist trained in postpartum mental health can diagnose and treat perinatal health disorders (such as: depression, anxiety, OCD, or other mental health conditions)

What they offer:

• Assessment and diagnosis of postpartum mental health concerns
• Evidence-based treatment (ex. talk therapy,  EMDR, CBT, IFS, Somatic etc.)
• Specialized training in postpartum mental health
• Ongoing support and monitoring of mood and well-being
• Processing of birth trauma or difficult experiences

Limitations:

• Often not accessible immediately (waiting lists are common)
• Can be expensive without insurance ($100-300+ per session)
• Requires you to recognize you need help and reach out
• Not trained in postpartum recovery, newborn care, or practical support
• May not understand the nuances of early parenthood and adjustment, or be the right fit for you or your needs in this specific moment or personally.
• Session-based model means less frequent contact

Best for:

• Postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, or other mood disorders
• Trauma processing from birth
• Previous mental health conditions triggered or worsened by parenthood
• Long-term emotional and psychological support

How These Types of Support Work Together

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to choose just one.

In fact, the best postpartum support usually involves multiple types:

Your family or partner is there for love and practical help. Your OB/GYN or midwife monitors your physical healing. A lactation consultant helps with feeding challenges. Your doula provides emotional support, practical guidance, and continuity. A therapist steps in if you’re struggling with your mental health.

Each plays a different role. They’re not in competition. They work together.

A Real Example: When These Work Together

Let’s say you’re a first-time parent, 2 weeks postpartum. You’re struggling with nursing pain. You’re exhausted. You’re questioning your abilities as a parent. You feel anxious about everything. Your mother is staying with you and helping with meals and the house, but she keeps telling you that you’re doing everything wrong. Your partner is supportive but also working and overwhelmed.

Here’s where each type of support comes in:

• Your midwife (at the 2-week visit, which clinics often schedule) notices you’re tearful and assesses your emotional state. They fix a minor latch issue, screen you for postpartum depression, and suggest you reach out to your therapist (or sends a few local options). They also call you two days later to check in on how feeding is going.
• A lactation consultant comes to your house, assesses the full feeding situation, and explains what you’re doing well and what small adjustments help. The pain improves within a day or two.
• Your doula validates that the learning curve is steep, that conflicting advice from family is hard to navigate, and that you’re doing better than you think. They help you communicate with your mother about what kind of advice actually helps. They reassure you that what you’re feeling is normal for early postpartum, giving specifics around how your hormones and healing may be contributing. They make you soup, buy you groceries, and sit with you while you feed the baby.
• Your therapist starts weekly sessions to monitor your mood and make sure it’s improving with time and support.
• Your partner continues to be your rock, handling the household while you recover and showing up emotionally even when tired.
• Your mother eventually learns that “let parents rest” is more helpful than “you’re doing it wrong.”

Within a few weeks, things start to feel more manageable. You’re sleeping a bit more. The feeding is better. Your mood is lifting. You feel supported and less alone.

That’s what good postpartum support looks like: multiple people, multiple approaches, all working toward your wellbeing.

How to Know What Support You Actually Need

Ask yourself:

• Do I need medical monitoring? Yes, everyone does. Your OB/GYN or midwife is essential.
• Will I have family or partner support? Probably, but is it the kind of support that helps me, or the kind that adds stress?
• Am I planning to nurse? Consider a lactation consultant for proactive support, not just emergency troubleshooting.
• Do I have a history of depression or anxiety? Connecting with a therapist before or early in postpartum can give you strategies to cope with new stressors and a built-in check-in after birth.
• Do I need practical household help? A cleaner, meal delivery service, and babysitter can be valuable if it’s in your budget.
• Do I need someone in my corner who isn’t my family, my healthcare provider, or an employee? That’s what a doula is for.

What Most Families Say They Needed Most

When we ask families what made the biggest difference in their postpartum experience, they often say:
“I needed someone to validate that what I was feeling was normal.”
“I needed help making decisions that aligned with our values, not someone telling me the ‘right’ way to parent.”
“I needed someone who understood what I just went through and could help me process it.”
“I needed to feel less alone.”
“I needed someone who knew me and could show up consistently, not just at a scheduled appointment.”

Those are things a doula does.

The Bottom Line

Postpartum support isn’t one-size-fits-all. You might need medical care, practical help, feeding support, emotional guidance, and mental health treatment—or some combination of those things. The key is figuring out what you need based on your situation, your support system, your values, and your postpartum experience.

A doula can’t replace your OB/GYN, midwife, therapist, or lactation consultant. But they fill a unique role: they show up consistently, get to know you over time, help you navigate conflicting advice, provide hands-on practical support, advocate for you with your healthcare team, and hold space for the full emotional reality of postpartum—the joy, the overwhelm, the complexity. They integrate all the pieces of your support system so you’re not managing everything alone.

Not sure if a doula is right for you? Read more about doulas and what they do, or if you’re in our services areas Vancouver, North Vancouver, Victoria, West Vancouver, Burnaby, New West, Bowen Island BC or Calgary, Alberta, book your complimentary Meet Brood call today. We can help you figure out what kind of support would make the biggest difference for you and your family.