If you’ve ever wondered, “Do I really need a doula?” you’re not alone, mama. So many of us hear the word and think it’s just for a certain “type” of parent. But the truth is, a doula can offer the kind of steady, nurturing support that makes a huge difference during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

In this episode, Dr. Renee White walks us through the four types of people who benefit the most from having a doula by their side. Whether you’re a first-time mum, juggling multiple kids, navigating mental health challenges, or running a small business while caring for a newborn, this one’s for you.

Renee shares stories and insights from her work as the founder of Australia’s first doula village, Fill Your Cup. She breaks down why doula care is not just helpful, but often essential in helping you feel calm, capable, and connected through the early stages of motherhood.

You’ll hear about:

✔️ First-time mums who want guidance and confidence – and why a doula is the best hand to hold

✔️ Parents with toddlers or multiple kids – how doulas can help you balance the chaos with calm

✔️ Families with mental health challenges – and how proactive support can protect your wellbeing

✔️ Parents running small businesses – because the juggle is real, and consistent help matters

✔️ What makes Fill Your Cup different – from evidence-based care to our nourishing mama menu

Whether you're planning ahead, in the thick of newborn life, or supporting a loved one, this episode is filled with practical tips, gentle encouragement, and plenty of reminders that you're not meant to do it all alone.

Resources and Links:

📲 Want to chat more about this? Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_

🌐 Want to learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services

🍪If you want to gobble up our famous Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies, look no further!

🎧 Loved this episode? Share it with a friend who’s navigating new motherhood or thinking about hiring a doula. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.

Because every mum deserves to feel held, supported, and confident as she steps into this next chapter. You’ve got this, and we’re right here with you. 💛

[00:00:27] I'm Dr. Renee White, and this is The Science of Motherhood. Hello and welcome to episode 167 of The Science of Motherhood. I am your host, Dr. Renee White. Thank you so much for joining me today. We have got one of our check-in Tuesday episodes, and I have to say serendipitously, we are airing this almost on World Doula Day, which is so, so exciting.

[00:01:30] And so I wanted to give you a little insight today as to the four types of people who need to hire a doula. 'cause so many people are like, oh, I might have heard of this doula concept. What is it? And do I actually need one? Well, I'm gonna walk you through today the four types of people who absolutely need to have a doula.

[00:02:23] The first one is, they always say to me, they're feeling really overwhelmed about the unknown. They just want someone to hold their hand and walk alongside them. They have a real desire to be competent and to be really confident, um, as a new parent. Um, some people might have like a bit of a fear of, of judgment o of, of not knowing the right answer, um, which is, you know, that kind of, oh, well I just wanna know if that's normal or not with my baby.

[00:03:24] And the other thing that we're really good at is protecting boundaries. So we're really good at providing tools for, you know. Protecting relationships and families. Often I have conversations where people are like, I just want my mum to be the grandma, not the caretaker of me and so that's why I wanna have a doula, and that is perfectly fine.

[00:04:12] You are probably gonna have strengthened relationships with your partner and your family. You are absolutely going to be confident in how you navigate. Your motherhood and newborn care. That is my number one thing when it comes to our services. We actually wanna put ourselves out of a job. It sounds crazy, but that is my ultimate goal.

[00:05:02] Alright? So that's person number one. First time mums. The second person who really needs a doula in their life is a second or third time parent juggling multiple kids. Now, the amount of times I've had a conversation with someone and they've said. Wow. It was really hard the first time. I'm not sure how I'm gonna cope with a toddler in tow and I get it.

[00:05:59] And I get that. I totally get that. Um, maybe you had a bit of a bumpy journey in that first. Um, postpartum or birth with your, with your older children. And so you're really looking for something a bit smoother, something with a bit more handholding. You might have a fear of burnout as well, and overall you just need that emotional and logistical support of handling the household.

[00:06:49] If you've got your toddler at home and you've got your doula there, we can absolutely hang out with your toddler. We do lots of cooking, and so I have kind of made all of the recipes super easy, particularly the snacks where little kids can get involved and they can help with measuring out ingredients and helping the doula.

[00:07:47] The third person that we typically, um, look after here are those with preexisting mental health challenges and many mums come to us again because we are very evidence-based. We've got great relationships with allied healthcare professionals, particularly in the counseling and um, psychology sphere.

[00:08:43] And so, there's this kind of real need for proactive mental health management, and that is where a doula is perfect to step in and help you out with that. We are all about prevention rather than treatment here at Fill your Cup and so having a doula is, um, an amazing opportunity to kind of get on the front foot with that.

[00:10:24] Okay. Now the fourth person that we typically, uh, engage our services with, are a little bit left of centre.

[00:11:29] And overall just this desire to have that consistent and trustworthy kind of help because we do see that some partners get, sometimes there's like a bit of guilt and resentment around not being fully present, but we totally get it because they're kind of having to keep the business going while they're having a family.

[00:12:18] So that is, that is our fourth person who really, really needs a doula. And I guess overall it would be remiss of me not to talk about why you wouldn't pick Fill Your Cup as your doula service, now, as I said at the beginning, we have doulas across Australia on the eastern kind of coastline of of the country.

[00:13:02] All of our doulas are, uh, trained to the same standard and the systems and operations we have in the background in, nor like just in order for us to. The systems and operations that we have in the background ensure that we are able to provide that real consistent care. There's a few other things that set us apart here at Fill Your Cup.

[00:13:53] The second thing that sets us apart is, um, what I like to call our Nourish, Replenish and Restore, we are very well known for our Fill Your Cup Mama menu and by that I mean the fact that we have scientifically curated, um, our postnatal menu. It's designed specifically to replenish all those lost micronutrients, um, that our body needs, um, during pregnancy and helps you recover, recharge, and kick that postnatal depletion to the curb.

[00:14:49] So we have, our answers are really and truly backed by science. So parents come with questions, lots and lots and lots of them. So what we ask is that you submit your toughest challenges and we'll provide a personalised science backed video response and so you can make a really informed decision with confidence.

[00:15:33] And so what I mean by this is that, you know, life happens, but your care shouldn't stop. So our doula village model ensures that your primary doula, becomes unavailable a trained replacement steps in seamlessly to provide uninterrupted support. So there's really no need for you to repeat your story because of all the systems and operations that we've got on in the background.

[00:16:35] With a new newborn in their life, so they need that extra set of hands, or they're feeling a little bit guilty about sharing the love around the household. We are a perfect person to come in and provide that extra set of hands for them. The third type of person are parents with preexisting mental health challenges, it is all about prevention is better than treatment. And so with that, we are able to provide our families with an opportunity to really engage in some valuable self-care and recovery, hopefully mitigating any of that risk to postnatal depletion and or anxiety. And the fourth type of person are parents who have a small business, and they're worried about that juggle of maintaining the financial side of their life as well as juggling newborn and parenthood life.

[00:18:02] Alright everyone. Bye. If you loved this episode, please hit the subscribe button and leave a review. If you know someone out there who would also love to listen to this episode, please hit the share button so they can benefit from it as well.

[00:18:48] Until next time, bye.