Today I chatted with a doula in my area about the services she provides and the services I provide. Elyse Weeks is a perinatal doula who specializes in Ayurveda and bodywork. Elyse and I connected over our shared experiences that brought us to this compassionate work. Her care for mothers, both during pregnancy and postpartum, is filled with a literal enveloping of warmth and thought. She described bodywork and grounding techniques that she practices alongside her Ayurvedic meal prep and cooking classes that made me so hopeful for all the parents out there who get to experience it.
In talking, she shared how necessary it was to have access to mental health professionals like myself to refer parents to as they meet the transition into parenthood, describing the boundary in which her services end and mine begin. I immediately got an image of interlocking puzzle pieces because I feel the same way about her. There is a boundary to what I can do. And I wish that all the parents I work with could be wrapped up in the type of support Elyse provides.
We have to work in harmony. Community. Support in the postpartum period is one of THE biggest protective factors against perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Her work is my work, and my work is her work.
To find out more about Elyse click here.