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Shannon Collier CPD-DONA Cell: 202-573-1495 info@holistichelpinghand.com www.holistichelpinghand.com Serving the Washington, DC-Metro Area |
| MIND |
| BODY |
| SPIRIT |
| I am happy to work with you to establish a schedule that best fits your family's needs. The example schedules below may assist you in your considerations. I recommend scheduling no less than three hours per visit, and suggest being creative with your hours (split-sessions, etc). Schedules are flexible and may be altered during the course of a contract as availability allows. Please do not hesitate to call me with questions about possible scheduling options. |
| Common Schedules for Postpartum Support |
Please note, I do not work overnights; Friday evenings through Sundays, or Federal Holidays.
Mid-Morning: Starting between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM for three to five hours. Since adequate rest is
important, prolong your time in bed in the morning. I can assist by attending to household
organization needs that might otherwise beckon you out of bed, and nurture you with a healthy
breakfast and cup of tea as you lay-in with your newborn. This schedule may be especially helpful if
your partner must return to work shortly after the birth.
Late Afternoon/Early Evening: Starting between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM for four to five hours. This is a
time of transition as parents and older siblings return home from school or work and dinner is around
the corner. Additionally, many newborns often experience an "expressive" or "fussy" period in the
evening that some parents find difficult to manage. An extra set of hands to prepare dinner, or help
you attend to your expressive infant may be a welcome break at this time.
Evening/Dinner/Bedtime: From 4:00 PM or 5:00 PM for four to six hours, if dinner preparation,
execution, and clean-up, and the bath-time / bed-time process seems to be your busiest part of the
day. Assistance at this point also allows parents to maintain an older sibling's bedtime routine,
ensuring quality time with the big brother/s or sister/s, and can give parents a few minutes to unwind
at the end of the day.
Overnight: PLEASE NOTE: I only offer overnight hours on a contract by contract basis for no more
than nights per week, and only as an add-on to daytime contracts. Overnight hours are charged at a
premium of $30.00/hour. Please consider the support of a night nurse or postpartum support agency
for more intensive overnight care.
Decrease in Length or Frequency Over Time: As you recover from birth, or an adoption transition,
your need for support will lessen. Therefore, I suggest reducing your scheduled support hours
proportionally over time. For example, if you received five hours of support daily in the first two weeks
of postpartum recovery, scale back to three hours daily or five hours every-other day for the next week
with subsequent reductions the following week.
Peak Fussy Time: When infants hit four weeks of post-gestational age, they begin the fussiness climb
to "peak fussiness" at week six, and then slowly ramp back down to settle into themselves around
week eight. This four-week stretch of time is often trying for new parents and is a great time to enlist
some extra help.
Mid-Morning: Starting between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM for three to five hours. Since adequate rest is
important, prolong your time in bed in the morning. I can assist by attending to household
organization needs that might otherwise beckon you out of bed, and nurture you with a healthy
breakfast and cup of tea as you lay-in with your newborn. This schedule may be especially helpful if
your partner must return to work shortly after the birth.
Late Afternoon/Early Evening: Starting between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM for four to five hours. This is a
time of transition as parents and older siblings return home from school or work and dinner is around
the corner. Additionally, many newborns often experience an "expressive" or "fussy" period in the
evening that some parents find difficult to manage. An extra set of hands to prepare dinner, or help
you attend to your expressive infant may be a welcome break at this time.
Evening/Dinner/Bedtime: From 4:00 PM or 5:00 PM for four to six hours, if dinner preparation,
execution, and clean-up, and the bath-time / bed-time process seems to be your busiest part of the
day. Assistance at this point also allows parents to maintain an older sibling's bedtime routine,
ensuring quality time with the big brother/s or sister/s, and can give parents a few minutes to unwind
at the end of the day.
Overnight: PLEASE NOTE: I only offer overnight hours on a contract by contract basis for no more
than nights per week, and only as an add-on to daytime contracts. Overnight hours are charged at a
premium of $30.00/hour. Please consider the support of a night nurse or postpartum support agency
for more intensive overnight care.
Decrease in Length or Frequency Over Time: As you recover from birth, or an adoption transition,
your need for support will lessen. Therefore, I suggest reducing your scheduled support hours
proportionally over time. For example, if you received five hours of support daily in the first two weeks
of postpartum recovery, scale back to three hours daily or five hours every-other day for the next week
with subsequent reductions the following week.
Peak Fussy Time: When infants hit four weeks of post-gestational age, they begin the fussiness climb
to "peak fussiness" at week six, and then slowly ramp back down to settle into themselves around
week eight. This four-week stretch of time is often trying for new parents and is a great time to enlist
some extra help.