Delaware-based doula Katie Hope has provided personalized and professional doula services for over twenty years for clients ages 14 to 49. She became interested in doulas and all things birth after her first pregnancy in 1999. A certified DONA birth doula and Lamaze childbirth educator, she has advocated on Capitol Hill and in her local community about the health and social impact of doulas and childbirth education.

Katie owns Delaware Doula, which provides virtual childbirth education and consultations to pregnant people around the U.S. She has been the featured guest on several podcasts, including The Reawakened Mom, We Deserve Better, and Rehoboth Social, where she shares her passion for evidence-based information, informed consent in the labor room, and collaborative medical care. She believes education and doula services improve the birthing experience for people desiring to have a natural birth and those planning on a medically managed birth, home birth, VBAC, or planned cesarean.

Katie shares: “For the last 20 years, I have been working with people through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. I became interested in doulas and all things birth-related after my first pregnancy in 1999,” says Katie, who currently provides individualized virtual childbirth education and private consultations to people around the U.S. “My education and experiences working with birthing people have formed the foundation of my belief that education, support, and empowerment are the keys to success in every area of life, especially birth and parenting. All pregnant individuals deserve unbiased, evidence-based information to make informed choices that are the best for themselves and their babies.”

Since COVID-19, Katie has focused on virtual childbirth education, pregnancy consulting, and speaking engagements about advocating for your healthcare and medical collaboration. “I’m on a mission to replace the fear around childbirth with knowledge and joy.”

Katie is a mother of three and a former nationally certified massage therapist. She lives in southern Delaware, where she loves spending time with her family and friends on the beach, hiking in the state parks, and traveling.

Contact Katie: delawaredoula.net.

Follow her on Facebook @KatieDelawareDoula and Instagram @delawaredoula

Scroll down for an article by Katie Hope about the power of postpartum depression and ways for new moms to cope.

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That Wasn’t The Baby Crying, It Was Me

There was a point in my life where I was struggling personally. I was feeling depressed and dissatisfied in multiple areas of my life. After a particularly bad week, I decided I should find a therapist. I called a few recommended providers, but I wasn’t having any luck finding a therapist who accepted my insurance and was taking new clients.

I contacted my insurance company, hoping for a list of in-network providers. After an hour of being on hold and entering code after code through the phone, I got a live person, “Good morning, How are you doing today?” I replied, “I’m calling the Mental health line at 8 AM on a Monday morning. Clearly, I’m NOT doing well.”

When I look back on this experience it amazes me that I had the strength to pick up the phone. I share this story because the most challenging time to get help is when you are IN a crisis.

The longer I’ve worked in the world of birth, the more passionate I’ve become about postpartum care and planning.

Lots of people focus on having a healthy pregnancy and birth, but a small number are making preparations for their lives after the baby comes. We tend to focus on the “stuff” and “to-do” lists instead of the systems and routines we need to keep our homes running postpartum.

For many, having a baby fulfills a lifelong dream. They have longed for pregnancy photo shoots, the sounds and smells of a newborn, and feeling a part of a generational lineage. What we haven’t dreamed about and don’t talk about are the challenges we can experience as new parents.

Here are a few things to consider: 

1. It’s not unusual to think of postpartum as the first few weeks after giving birth, but it is clinically defined as the first full year after giving birth. The rates of postpartum anxiety and depression are increasing at alarming rates. A thoughtful postpartum plan and preparation can help reduce the rates of postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety and improve the quality of life for the entire family for the postpartum year.

We can begin feeling the cumulative effects of irregular and insufficient sleep in the months after giving birth. Sleep deprivation does not make us better problem solvers. The realities of childcare, the financial impact of having a baby, and concerns about future pregnancies can build up, leading to stress and increased anxiety. Having a premade plan can help. In my business, I help families create a detailed, personalized postpartum plan, but my general recommendations are to focus on the big three: heal, rest, and recover the mother. This isn’t an indulgence; it’s an investment in your future.

In contrast to the US version of postpartum, where we fast-track new moms from the delivery room to the bedroom and back to the office in six weeks, some countries honor the mothers’ healing with a practice called The Golden Month. During that time, the mother stays in bed with her baby and is cared for by the family. She is fed nourishing meals, massaged daily, and encouraged only to rest and feed her baby.

2. My second suggestion is to sit down with your partner or support person and devise a plan for sleep. In regards to sleeping, focus on how you are going to make sure the mother is getting enough rest, where the baby will sleep, and who can help you in the first few weeks.

3. Eat well. Good nutrition promotes healing, improved immune function, mental well-being, and successful breastfeeding. With increased fatigue, the desire for high-fat and high-sugar foods increases. How are you going to make sure that you are able to eat well postpartum? Consider cooking double and freezing half when preparing meals for the last month of pregnancy. You might decide to ask friends to set up a meal train to deliver dinners after the baby arrives or ask for gift cards to a meal delivery service as an alternative baby shower gift.

4. Give yourself time. Recovering from pregnancy and the physicality of giving birth takes time. Consider buying supplies to have on hand that promote healing or lining up services to aid in the healing process. Services such as a postpartum doula for the first six weeks or an in-home postpartum massage can be booked in advance and aid in the healing process.
Babies are a blessing and can grow us in new and unexpected ways. It is not uncommon though to have a sense of loss of who we used to be and the kind of life we used to have. Feelings of sadness are valid even if you are simultaneously happy to have a newborn in your arms. There is room to take care of yourself and your baby.

5. Ask for help. If you or someone you love is struggling with postpartum mood disorders, please help them seek professional support. Whenever possible, contact a therapist who specializes in perinatal or postpartum counseling.

For more information or assistance with creating a postpartum plan, a birth plan, or scheduling a virtual childbirth education class, please get in touch with me at katie@delawaredoula.net or schedule online through www.delawaredoula.net.