Episode 131: Supporting Single Parents

Doulas of the Roundtable

Supporting single parents through pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period looks different than supporting those who are partnered. How we approach labor or postpartum support with an unpartnered parent will look different.

Many factors will be different when planning for labor. For example, will they get to their birth location? Or who will make medical decisions about the laboring person's care if no other family support is available and the pregnant person is not able to make a decision? For most, creating a medical directive isn't on the list of preparations for labor.

Support during the postpartum period is equally important. Will the client have friends or family to help in the early days or weeks after birth? Is there a plan for when this support will start to dwindle naturally? As postpartum doulas, it's easy to assume that overnight support may be more necessary for single clients. But for many, there are often other times of the day when they find they struggle more.

Helping clients identify these areas of struggle and plan for how to address them is an important part of our role. It is important to be aware of our biases when approaching these conversations.

Join us as we discuss how to approach these conversations with unpartnered clients.