What about my husband, partner or loved one?
What if I want pain medication?
What if I am planning an induction or a C-Section or must have one for medical reasons?
Where will you provide your services?
Can you provide me with medical advice? Can you perform vaginal exams, etc.?
How soon should I call you when I am in labor?
What happens if you are unable to attend my birth for any reason?
What is a doula?
The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.
A Birth Doula
- Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
- Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
- Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
- Stays with the woman throughout the labor
- Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
- Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
- Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
- Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level
A birth doula certified by DONA International is designated by the initials CD(DONA).
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Doulas mother the mother!
DONA International doulas are educated and experienced in childbirth and the postpartum period. We are prepared to provide physical (non-medical), emotional and informational support to women and their partners during labor and birth, as well as to families in the weeks following childbirth. We offer a loving touch, positioning and comfort measures that make childbearing women and families feel nurtured and cared for.
Numerous clinical studies have found 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 and cesareans
- reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals
Research shows parents who receive support can:
- Feel more secure and cared for
- Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
- Have greater success with breastfeeding
- Have greater self-confidence
- Have less postpartum depression
- Have lower incidence of abuse
What about my husband, partner or loved one?
A doula is not a substitute for a woman's family or close friends. Some women desire their husband, partner or certain family members or friends to be present for the birth of their child. This intimate level of love and support should be encouraged by a doula. A doula is someone who is trained in the pregnancy and labor process and can remain calm and objective when family members or friends may not. Seeing a loved one in discomfort can be difficult. A doula can explain the process as it is happening, thus decreasing the fears and anxieties of those present for the labor. She can also demonstrate ways that the laboring woman's family can help her to relax and comfort measures they can use to help alleviate the physical sensations of labor. It is also helpful to have a doula present should the loved one(s) need to use the restroom, make phone calls, have a snack, take a quick nap or park the car. A laboring woman should never be left alone.
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What if I want pain medication?
My job is to assist you during your labor, not to judge you or anyone else for your choices. This is YOUR birth and it is important that you feel good about it. During your prenatal visits, we will discuss the benefits and risks associated with pain medications, so you will be able to make a fully informed decision if you decide that you would like analgesics or anesthesia.
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What if I am planning an induction or a C-section or must have one due to medical reasons?
There is more to birth than the actual birth itself. As a labor doula, I will provide you with emotional and evidence-based informational support prior to your medical procedure. It is important to know how these options may affect you and your baby. You will also receive information on VBAC (vaginal birth following cesarean) if you are interested. Clients who choose an elective induction or c-section will be given information, so that they can be properly informed and empowered by their choice. Those who are required to have an induction or C-section for medical reasons will also be given emotional and informational support. All mothers are entitled to the same services; such as prenatal visits tailored to their specific needs, informational and emotional support, comfort measures and support during labor and or cesarean birth, and a postpartum support visit with breastfeeding assistance (if desired).
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Where will you provide your services?
My services are provided at your birth place--this can be a hospital, birth center or a private home.
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Can you provide me with medical advice? Can you perform vaginal exams, etc.?
No, the scope of my services are non-medical. I cannot perform vaginal exams, listen to your baby's heart beat or deliver your baby!
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How soon should I call you when I am in labor?
As soon as you think you are in labor (painful contractions about 5 minutes apart and lasting at least 45 seconds or if your waters have released), you should call me to give me a heads up. You must also inform your health care provider. Please call me at least an hour before you expect me to be there, so that I can clear my schedule, make personal arrangements and travel to your location.
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What happens if you are unable to attend my birth for any reason?
In the event that I have a personal emergency or I am attending another birth, I will provide you with my backup doula. So far, this has never happened. If you do not wish to use my backup doula, you will receive a full refund (minus the $150 retaining/prenatal fee, which covers the time that has been spent with you in prenatal services). If you do not call me to attend your birth, there will be no refund. If labor progresses so quickly that I am unable to make it to the birthing location in time, you will receive a refund (again, minus the $150 retaining/prenatal fee).
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Do you have questions that were not answered here? Please e-mail me!
“Birth is the sudden opening of a window, through which you look out upon a stupendous prospect. For what has happened? A miracle. You have exchanged nothing for the possibility of everything.” ~ William MacNeile Dixon
