There once was a village. Then there was just you and your partner. But today, more and more new moms are discovering a somewhere-in-between solution that involves hiring a care specialist for the baby (and new mom) to help out in the days and weeks following birth. 

"Postpartum doulas are the modern version of the community village of women who would surround and support pregnant and laboring women during and after the birth," says Katie Page, a certified nurse midwife in Forest, Virginia. "If you don't have that community, a doula can fill in." But everyone can benefit, she says, adding, "I actively encourage postpartum doulas to all of my clients who may have less support at home."

Less help at home was certainly Ellie Hirsch's worry. "My husband and I were on our own since we didn't live near any family. And I knew he would be back to work and traveling soon after our son was born," says Hirsch, a mom in Tampa, Florida. "We needed all the support and help we could get."

Postpartum doula care may even help keep the baby blues at bay. "Two major contributors to postpartum depression are fatigue and lack of support," says Page. "Having a reliable doula or village to rally around you while you bond with your baby can be critical to maternal-infant attachment, mental health, and future parenting." Plus, a 2009 study in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing found that postpartum doulas effectively promote maternal responsiveness and competence in new moms.