This guest post is by Jenny Gullen, a professional doula. She hired a doula when she gave birth to her son and realized what her ‘calling’ was. She found a doula to be extremely valuable through her experience that she decided to become a licensed doula. She has assisted in numerous births and still gasps in an amazement at the miracle of birth. For more info on what to expect from a doula, check her site here. She’s also the owner and publisher of The Crunchy Wife and lives in Michigan with her husband and son.
So you are pregnant?
From the moment you find out you’re pregnant, most women begin by working towards a healthy pregnancy. Then, we think about how we will care for baby once he/she makes their grand entrance into the world. One thing that often gets over-looked, is the actual birth itself. There are child birth classes you can take but many of them don’t really show you that labors don’t have to be painful, horrible, and agonizing experience. This is where hiring a doula can be incredibly beneficial.
What does a doula do?
A doula is someone that supports the expecting mom and her family with emotional and physical support before, during, and after delivery. A doula is there to fill in the gaps where the other care providers are not able to provide assistance. She can act as an advocate, educator, labor coach, and support partner. She can show you that there are options for your labor and delivery and that you don’t have to spend the duration just lying there in a hospital bed. She can show you that you don’t have to wear a hospital gown, that you don’t have to accept an IV right away, and that you can labor by walking, squatting, utilizing the shower or a birthing ball or other positions. She is your advocate for you and your baby.
Doula and childbirth
So, how can doulas help you through your birth process? Since you are reading the Green Sisterhood blog, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re aware of green/healthy/natural way of life. While doulas will support moms through any type of birth, including hospital births, home births, or medicated births; they are extremely beneficial in aiding in natural births. Each doula works differently, but personally I offer two prenatal visits with my clients to help them plan their birth vision. Together, we go over what they would like their labor and delivery to include and discuss how we can all work together to make it happen. We also discuss our options in case something doesn’t go according to plan. In addition, I offer resources that may help them in making any decisions related to the birth such as circumcision, vaccinations, pain management during labor, etc.
Once labor starts, I am there for my clients from the moment they request my presence all the way through 1-2 hours after delivery. During that time, I help by guiding mom through various birthing positions, keeping her hydrated, acting as her coach through pushing, and by applying counter-pressure during contractions (many mom’s swear the ‘hip squeeze’ takes away at least 50% of the pain during contractions!) All of this can really help keep mom grounded and focused on getting through labor and achieving the birth experience that she desires. Doulas are also there to support the partner through the process by keeping them calm and showing them ways they can help out during the labor (doing the ‘hip-squeeze’ themselves, getting mom some water, or just taking a break to grab some lunch.) Doulas are there for constant support of both mom and partner.Hiring a doula can reduce the chance of a C-section, reduce the length of labor, and reduce the need for interventions. There are many more benefits that you can read about here.
After the birth
After delivery, doulas make sure the family is comfortable. If the mom choose to breastfeed, doulas help that baby latches on and is breastfeeding successfully. Lastly, birth doulas usually offer a postpartum visit a few days to weeks after the birth to make sure the family is settling in at home and to offer any additional support if needed. From there, postpartum doulas take over and can offer their support by helping mom with laundry, cooking, cleaning, lending an ear, or even watching baby so mom can catch a few zzz’s.
Are you interested in becoming a doula but don’t know where to start? Check out my post over on my blog all about how to become a doula.
Didn’t get enough birth talk in this post? Check out these other great birth related posts from the sisters of Green Sisterhood:
- Betsy of Eco-Novice has three children of her own and has written about what to pack in your hospital bag, what your baby really needs, and how to avoid toxins in baby products.
- Brenna of Almost All the Truth has a great list of 10 ways to green your pregnancy and one with the top 10 eco-friendly essentials for your diaper bag. She’s also written a great resource post talking about some great books on breastfeeding.
- Jen from Jen and Joey Go Green talks here about her experience with using a midwife.
- Jenny of Conscientious Confusion wrote a great post about natural childbirth for those of you considering one. She has also written a post listing some great products for the postpartum period.
Do you have questions about what doulas do? Feel free to leave them in the comments below.