How to Onboard New Parents to Their “Job” in 90 Days
Think of the last time you started a new job and were in over your head. We’ve all been there: Steep learning curve. No clear roadmap.
Companies like Netflix and Google obsess over getting their new hires up to speed in the critical "90-day onboarding window."
WHY ARE WE OBSESSED WITH ONBOARDING NEW EMPLOYEES BUT NOT "ONBOARDING" NEW PARENTS?
Feeling like Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory conveyer belt? Did someone say “speed it up?!”
Image credit: Tumbler blog.
The first 90 days of your new “job” as a parent lines up with the most precarious time in your baby's life.
Okay, so before you think, “Parenthood isn’t a job,” hear me out. I agree that motherhood and parenthood is an absolute gift and privilege. AND, the first few months of parenthood can be scary as s*** if you’re not prepared. It can be a calling AND you can want to have a more clear “instruction manual” to help you know what you’re doing. That’s where postpartum doulas come in.
Postpartum doulas help new parents get acclimated to their new “job.” They also help babies adjust to their life outside the womb. Doulas provide parents with physical, emotional and educational support before and after your bebe(s) arrive.
Boston Area Doulas work with families to:
share what to expect at each day, hour and phase of newborn life, up until the first year of a baby’s life
explain and support with feeding (breastfeeding, bottle feeding, etc.)
explain and support infant care (bathing, umbilical cord care, etc.)
support with soothing of your baby,
help with infant and parent sleep (anyone need a baby holder while you take an hour nap?),
help you get the nutrition you need to be your best self,
process what the heck just happened during birth.
Everyone deserves to be supported with evidence-based, nonjudgmental, compassionate care.
Schedule a chat here to learn more about how we support families.
About the Author: Kathleen Stern is a certified labor, postpartum and infant care doula and founder of Boston Area Doulas. She had a postpartum doula with her second child, which inspired her to start Boston Area Doulas. Kathleen believes in the power of support, connection, increasing access to resources and increasing one’s confidence in parenthood. She lives in Boston with her two girls and husband.
