Member Interview: Dani Krawiec
Dani is an postpartum doula and breastfeeding specialist, she also offers support for postpartum planning in addition to postpartum care for families. Dani is a dedicated and passionate support of all families and eagerly meets folks where they are at with family centered care. Offering support to folks in Chittenden County, Dani is an empathic resource for care during your postpartum time.
What services do you offer to folks during conception, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum?
I am a trained postpartum doula and certified breastfeeding specialist. Prenatal Services: I offer planning sessions for the postpartum period. These are not only for pregnant persons but also for families of all types (surrogates, intended parents, adoptive parents, etc.). We often spend so much time preparing for the birth but sometimes overlook just how much planning the postpartum period needs. I love to help families feel empowered as they enter this new phase of their lives. These planning sessions also include breast/chestfeeding education and planning if parents are hoping to choose this route. Postpartum Services: My postpartum services are individualized for each family, because each family’s needs are so unique. My services include (but are not at all limited to): - Making sure the birthing person is eating, sleeping, and showering! I strongly believe that these three things are critical to our well-being, but they are often tabled as they can feel impossible with a newborn. - Providing newborn care education and assistance - Emotional support and companionship - Lactation and feeding support: I am very passionate about lactation as a certified breastfeeding specialist. I love helping families/lactating persons/mothers/etc. meet their feeding and lactation goals. This journey can be one of the most challenging for families, and so I love the opportunity to help ease the struggle and instill confidence as much as possible. - Resources & Referrals: I love sharing all the many resources I have. I have an extensive resource library that I have built for parents, and I continue to add to it almost weekly. Parents gain exclusive access to this library when they hire me as their doula.
How did you get into your line of work?
I feel as if my story is similar to many other birth workers. I was led to this work by my own birth/postpartum experiences. My birth wasn’t what I hoped for. I wish I knew more. I wish I had taken pictures. I wish I had hired a doula. There were so many “I wish” thoughts that consumed me. I felt: How terrible that the most beautiful moment in my life is one that I wish I could do over. During my postpartum period, I felt incredibly overwhelmed and exceptionally lonely. My husband went back to work, and I felt isolated from friends and family. I found it hard to eat, shower, and take care of myself. My social life was non-existent. Breastfeeding consumed me. My precious sleep was ripped from me. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED being a new mom, but it came with its share of significant struggles and challenges (as it always will). I started doing research about birth doulas, because I was drawn to learn more. I also wanted to see if it would be something I was interested in pursuing myself. I knew that with a new baby, being a birth doula would be a difficult venture to commit to. Then I discovered that postpartum doulas existed, something I didn’t know! I read several books on postpartum doulas and their role, and then I decided to invest in the training, and I’m so happy I did. Throughout my training, I became interested and passionate about lactation. I delved into this world headfirst. After spending hours and hours learning, I decided to become a certified breastfeeding specialist.
What do people think you do to support folks?
I’ve often found that there’s a wide range of people’s understanding when it comes to the world of doulas. I’ve met some who have never heard of a doula. Like myself, some have heard of birth doulas but never postpartum doulas. Sometimes, postpartum doulas are thought of as glorified babysitters who watch the baby.
What do you actually do to support folks?
As postpartum doulas, we’re actually there to support the birthing person (or intended parents/adoptive parents) and their family. The new parent(s) holds the baby while we “hold” the new parent(s), whether that’s through emotional, informative, or practical support, and yes, occasionally we do get to hold the baby (:
What is something that you feel like you are uniquely able to help people with?
I come from a very unique and impoverished upbringing with very different family circumstances. This allows me to understand, without judgement, the various types of families that exist. I know that families are far from nuclear. I was also a motherless mother, and so I have been able to support others in similar situations, something I wish that I had as a new pregnant/postpartum mother. I’m also an incredibly empathetic person. This can sometimes present itself as a weakness, but it also allows me to be much more in tune with new parents. They are exhausted, and sometimes this prevents them from knowing what they need. I try to interpret their needs when they might be unable to recognize them themselves.
What is the one piece of advice you find yourself telling people over and over again? PLAN.FOR.THE.POSTPARTUM.PERIOD. In society, we often spend so much time preparing for the birth, but we often overlook just how much the postpartum period truly entails. Whether you hire a postpartum doula or not, make sure you set your family up well for this period; you won’t regret paying this period that extra thought.
What are the top 3 questions people ask when they first start to work with you for support?
How do I soothe my baby?
How do I get more/better sleep?
“Is this normal/okay?” in regard to VARIOUS new parent situations.
Are there any other comments of things about your work you would like to share?
Hiring support throughout your pregnancy/postpartum can be costly, and I understand that. I never want cost to be a barrier to gaining support. If you feel like you need the extra support but are concerned about the investment, please don’t hesitate to reach out so we can discuss options. It’s important to me to make my support accessible to all family types. Families are not always a mother-father-baby structure. All new families need to be supported whether they were formed through adoption, surrogacy, etc. In an effort to make my support accessible, I offer an 8% discount to LGBTQ+ families. Additionally, the maternal mortality rate is over 3x higher for BIPOC birthing persons. This risk extends up to 12 months postpartum. Approximately 60% of these deaths are preventable. "Factors contributing to these pregnancy-related deaths include lack of knowledge of warning signs and when to seek care, missed or delayed diagnoses, lack of continuity of care, and case coordination or management issues extending up to 12 months postpartum" (Stryker et. al., 2023). Black women are more likely to be dismissed than their white counterpart. Postpartum doulas can help the birthing person to recognize these life-threatening warning signs and help advocate for care. In an effort to help combat these major healthcare disparities, I also offer an 8% discount to BIPOC families. 1% of all packages go toward my continuing education regarding these important issues. As a cisgender white woman, I can never over educate myself on these topics. Another 1% of all my packages get donated toward organizations fighting the maternal health crisis.