What IS a Doula
What Do Doulas Even Do?
Birth doulas are birth coaches. They make sure that you are prepared for and listened to and supported on the most important day of your life.
Doula means “servant-woman”. This extends to birth support in many ways. A birth doula’s job is to empower, listen, educate, comfort, validate, gather information, and empathize in the context of birth. These services extend to both the birthing person and their partner. Their support is primarily utilized during the labor and birth, but also extends to support throughout pregnancy and postnatally. A doula does not do anything clinical, give medical advice, diagnose, speak for the birthing person, pass judgements or project opinions.
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Physical support, emotional support, informational support and advocacy are at the heart of being a birth doula. The birth doula can provide physical support by performing massage, acupressure, counter pressure, aromatherapy, and by providing hydration and nourishment. Emotional support can come in many forms. Most importantly, the doula needs to listen and maintain a safe space for the birthing person to express their emotions and experience their birth the way that is best for them. This emotional support extends to the partner so that they can feel secure in being the best helper that they can be during the labor process. Informational support is crucial for helping the family make an educated decision on what is best for them and their baby. This includes evidenced based research to help inform decisions before, during and after the birth. Advocacy does not mean speaking for the birthing person, but rather empowering the birthing person to speak for themselves. These areas of support can be tailored to meet an individual’s needs. Some people may need more support in some areas and less support in others.
Why Hire a Doula?
The positive impact that doula’s have has been heavily documented in multiple research studies. In 2017, Bohren et al. published a Cochrane review based on the research of doula support from studies involving over 15,000 participants. These 26 different trials were conducted in 17 different countries with the same results. They found that women who received continuous support during labor had better outcomes. These better outcomes included: decreased cesarean rates, decreased use of pain medication, decreased low Apgar scores for the baby, increased satisfaction in birth experience, and shortened labors. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) agrees that continuous support during labor such as from a doula should be used frequently to improve birth outcomes and reduce the cesarean rate. Overall, the support that a DONA certified birth doula provides can be invaluable to a family who is bringing a child into this world.
Why Hire Me?
It is important to choose a doula who you feel comfortable with and trust. I offer free consultations to help ensure that we are a good fit before we decide to work together. Many things about pregnancy and birth are unpredictable, building a solid birth team is one way to ensure that you are supported through your journey.
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I have experience working with clients in hospital, birth center and home birth settings. My main goal is to make my clients feel supported and listened to. I provide evidenced based support throughout pregnancy, labor and postpartum and to help my clients feel informed about the choices that they are making.
Qualifications
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Certified Birth Doula, DONA International
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Spinning Babies Certified Doula
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Hypnobabies Trained