Finding the right doula
Every doula is different and brings their own personality, philosophy, energy and experience into the birthing room. You may want to consider whether or not the doula is certified (although certification is not required to practice as a doula in any state), their years in practice, number of births attended, or any specific training. Some families will also want to find a doula who has a similar background, views or beliefs. Figure out what resonates with you for your pregnancy and birth experience, and from there, what criteria will matter in the type of support you want. “I chose our doula because I felt like she listened to me. During our initial conversation, she wanted to hear about me, my partner and our future baby. She validated my feelings. Her spirit was warm and calming—which seemed like exactly what I would want during labor.” -Jenna Jonaitis The most important thing, is to find the right connection and chemistry with your potential doula. Trust your gut because ultimately, it’s all about how YOU feel with your doula and your personal connection. Do your personalities mesh, and is there a feeling that your doula will be there to support you in the most well-rounded way? Your Doula should exhibit excellent listening skills so that you feel you will be truly heard, and convey a positive and empowering personality. Choose someone you’ll want in your memories of your birth story, and someone that will appropriately advocate for you and your birth plan. This is a great place to start. This person will be with you during some very vulnerable and intimate moments. Your comfort level with the doula may be the most important factor to consider!
What are the important things to look for?
Here are some Questions to Ask
Do I need a doula?
The beauty of having a doula is that she is there just for you! They often have knowledge of labor and delivery and can even be familiar with your specific care provider. Your doula can be a personal resource guide, helping to answer all of those pressing questions you may have. Paying close attention to physical comfort through techniques such as touch, massage and assistance with breathing, your doula will provide emotional reassurance, comfort and encouragement. Doulas are also there to support and offer guidance to the partner and other family and loved ones. In addition to helping explain specific procedures and facilitate communication between you and your health care providers, studies show that he presence of a doula helps lower birth risks and the need for pain medications. Doula Support For Pregnant Women Could Improve Care, Reduce Costs A recent review titled “Continuous Support for Women During Childbirth”, showed a very high number of positive birth outcomes when a doula was present. With their support, women were less likely to have pain-relief medications administered and less likely to have a cesarean birth. Additionally, the use of vacuum or forceps for delivery is decreased, as well as overall time and duration of labor. Other studies have shown that having a doula as a member of the birth team decreases the overall cesarean rate by 50%, the length of labor by 25%, the use of oxytocin by 40%, and requests for an epidural by 60%. Doula work is gaining momentum every day, and Doulas are becoming so popular that pregnant women are finding the need to lock in the most talented doulas during their first trimester of pregnancy to guarantee their services. It is predicted that in the near future doula care will be an integrated part of maternity care. Given the incredible impact doula care has upon labor it is a wonder why doula care has not been standardly available to every pregnant women. Doulas overall cost less than many medical interventions and have better results at helping women feel good about their birth experience. For doulas and nurses to work together as a team to provide the best possible care for an intrapartum patient, they must develop a relationship based on mutual respect for each other’s different roles While a nurse’s primary role is to provide medical care for a laboring mother, her duties also include psychological and emotional support. Based on this and previous studies, many nurses fail, or are unable, to provide the latter. Clearly, this is why many women choose to hire a doula. Nurses must recognize that the doula is there to “fill in the gap” by offering the numerous comfort measures and intense emotional support nurses are unable to offer because of the enormous responsibility of providing adequate medical care to both mother and baby. Nurses will enhance patient satisfaction if they embrace this idea and recognize a doula can facilitate their own role. Doulas must also acknowledge that they are present strictly to provide support and advocacy, not to make medical decisions. If both members of this labor team are able to distinguish each other’s roles, they can work together to provide women with safe and rewarding births! As the United States continues to grapple with pregnancy-related deaths and infant mortality, which disproportionately affect Black, Native American and Pacific Islander communities, policymakers are taking a closer look at how doulas may be able to help reduce health disparities and there is a growing movement to include the cost of doula services in medicaid and other medical insurance policies.
What are the benefits?
How common a doula?
Working together with the medial community
What is a doula?
Having a doula or “birth supporter” is a concept that dates back as far as prehistoric times. In the 1960’s, at the height of the “natural birth movement”, this became a more widespread practice for women who desired more control over their birth outcomes. Years ago, when women exclusively gave birth at home in the care of skilled midwives, women had their female family members support and guide them, but with the development of obstetrics and hospital births in the last century, women became estranged from the birth process, and family members lost sufficient knowledge and confidence to guide a woman. To fulfill women’s need for birth support in modern times, the professional doula arose in the 1970s and ’80s. The key component of doula care is the nurturing and caring presence of the doula. As doulas like to say, they mother the mother. Typically, doulas are privately hired by women and their families. Most women first meet a labor doula in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. Doulas have been in the process of integrating into the maternity care system for the last 30 years. Research, coming mainly from underserved populations, shows that doulas have a positive influence on labor and birth outcomes, such as shortening the length of labor, lowering the rate of epidural use, and lowering the rate of cesarean surgery. Mothers supported by doulas have demonstrated more affectionate interactions with their newborns, less anxiety, and felt the doula had a positive influence on their birth experience. During childbirth, support from Doulas is becoming more usual in healthcare in Western countries. According to a recent review about continuous labor support, published in 2018, the continuous labor support appears to offer impressive benefits and no harms to women and newborns, especially when provided by someone in a Doula role. This appears to be an important care practice for those who wish to improve the quality, outcomes, and experience of maternity care. While most people associate doulas with the birthing process, their role has expanded to cover diverse forms of support, including physical, emotional, informational, and advocacy support for women during all phases of pregnancy and labor. Moreover, their role does not end with women. This type of care extends to the partner and other family members as well. For more information please visit the National Library of Medicine A doula is an advocate for the birthing mother and her partner. Whether a women wants to birth in a hospital (with or without drugs or interventions), or whether she wants to birth at home with a midwife or other trained attendant, her doula will be there to help her feel involved, safe and empowered. A doula does not replace the birthing mother’s partner, or the loved one she has chosen to be with her. The doula is there to provide objective nurturing support and education, to make suggestions about comfort measures and positions, to keep the mother hydrated and focused, to provide breaks for the other members of the birth team, and to be the gatekeeper between the mother and the outside world. The doula is there to help make birthing easier.
History of Doula
Role of a Doula
What does a doula do?
What does a Doula NOT do?
How has the role of a Doula changed?
What to expect from a doula