Mothering the New Mother I often hear from women of the generation ahead of me that they wished that they had a postpartum doula when they had their kids. Now these same women are becoming grandmothers and want to provide support to their daughters and daughters-in-law, but are unsure of the best way to help. One of the roles of a postpartum doula is the instruction to the supporting family members/friends how to mother the new mother. What does this mean? Let me give you an example to put this into perspective. When a child is young and unable to support themselves their needs are met by their mother. When they are hungry, they are fed; when they are tired they are relaxed into sleep, when they need a bath, they are bathed. The child doesn’t give direction on how things should be done; rather the mother is following the cues given by the child as to what their needs are. The new mother is often in a similar state following the birth of her child. She is ti