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What is a Doula

The word doula comes from a Greek word which when translated means roughly "a woman who serves another woman." In modern times the word doula is used to describe a woman who is trained and experienced in assisting women and their partners through childbirth.

In the past, women have been surrounded and cared for by other women during childbirth. A midwife and one or more women nurtured the laboring women, and provided her with continuous support through the birth process, and after. During the years this job started to disappear because of medical and technology progress. The art of giving birth started to be forgotten by women who were encouraged to follow the new medicine technique and were convinced that the old way of giving birth is not the correct one.

Moreover, the women and her partner were accompanied, in the past, on their journey into motherhood. Families stayed in the same towns where they were born so there were always mothers, sisters, aunts and friends to help the new mother and her partner.
For the most part we have lost those traditions. Today many birthing couples find themselves largely alone during this incredible transition from couple to family.

A doula is there to provide a gentle guide through this special time. She is not there to take the place of the birthing companion or other family members, rather, she is there as part of the larger team. The birth of a child is an incredibly transformative process for both mother and father. Having a doula’s calming presence can allow everyone involved to feel more comfortable and confident so that they can be truly present and enjoy the birth of their child.

A doula is like “a guardian of normal birth”. A doula is a non- medically qualified woman who has herself experienced the ease and joys of natural childbirth, she views childbirth as normal, not a disease or sickness or something that a woman needs artificial help to achieve. A doula believes in a woman’s own innate ability to birth her own baby

The benefits of having a Birth Doula

Families almost always state that choosing a doula was the best choice they made for their birth.  Entering into this time in your lives is full of wonder and excitement, but during labor a grounded voice of experience that can help to coach, encourage, reassure and support you and your partner is invaluable.

A doula can:
Help you to labor in the comfort of your home longer.
Help you decide when it is appropriate to go to the hospital if you are not having a home birth.
Help you to effectively navigate the hospital and medical staff to make your time there as harmonious as possible.
Help you and your partner feel calmer and more confident in your choices.
Help you to trust your body, submit to the sensations of labor, and find your own rhythm and routine.
Help you to have all the information you need to make decisions that may arise during pregnancy and labor

Clinical research studies have shown that a doula’s presence at birth:
Tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications.
Reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience.
Reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction.
Reduces the requests for pain medication and epidurals.
Reduces the incidence of cesareans.
Reduces the chance of the baby being admitted to a special care nursery.
Increases the ease with which the baby breastfeeds.

My Birth Doula Services

It is my pleasure to support families through pregnancy and labor to help them find their own strength and confidence to have a beautiful birth experience. 

As your doula I am committed to providing loving, non-judgmental, non-medical support and advocacy before, during and after the birth of your child. I will provide you with resources and information but I will not discourage you from your choices. I will always respect and facilitate those choices. I will do my best to enhance your birth experience by working to really understand your desires and by providing the services listed below.

My services include:

• 2 Prenatal visits:
  We set up two home visits to discuss your birth preferences.  My role is to help you understand all your options and to support you in your choices.  I take time during these visits to really listen and get to know you and any fears and desires you have surrounding birth. It is your opportunity to get to know me, ask questions, and find out more about what techniques you might like me to use to help you remain calm and relaxed throughout labor.
• Unlimited phone and email contact:
  I’m available to answer questions and refer you to other sources of information if needed.  We can discuss all your options so that you can make the right choice for you.
• On-call availability for your birth:
  You can call me anytime, day or night.  Once labor has begun, I will join you at your home or hospital as soon as you would like more support.
• Assistance, in conjunction with you and your care provider, with deciding when to go to the hospital or birth center if you are not birthing at home.
• Uninterrupted attendance during your labor and birth.
• Physical and emotional support for mom and birth companion during labor and immediate post partum time (+/- 2 hours): As your doula, I will use a wide variety of techniques to help you manage your labor. These include breathing, massage and touch, positioning,  birth ball, counter-pressure, visualization, use of imagery, and relaxation. I am part of the birth team, so I do not replace the role of husbands, partners or other support people.  I help everyone to feel confident in their support role.
• Advocacy for mother and birth companion, during and after birth. At a hospital birth, my role is also to help you to respectfully communicate with the medical staff and to make sure that you are fully informed and in control of any decisions.  I help ensure that all staff is clear and informed about your birth preferences, and I work to make it a comfortable environment with everyone working together for you.
• Photos of birth and newborn baby, if you wish and as long the situation allows.
• 1 Postpartum visit:
  Within the first two weeks after the birth, I will schedule another home visit to check-in, answer questions, bring birth notes, and support you in breast feeding as needed within my scope of practice.
• Providing referrals during pregnancy and after birth.

It is important to note that a doula is not a medical professional and cannot perform medical tasks, make diagnoses, or make medical recommendations.  A doula cannot "catch" your baby except in an emergency.  A doula has experiential knowledge, but is not seen as receiving formal medical training.  A doula does not speak for you, but gives you the tools to speak for yourself and those you love. 

 

What is included?

• Two prenatl visits
• Preparing a Birth Plan
• Unlimited phone & email support before and after birth
• Full support during birth
• One postpartum visit