This week marks the celebration of World Doula Week. You may have questions about what a doula is and what she does during a birth. Let me help clarify a few commonly asked questions.
What is a doula?
You may have heard the word before: DOULA. The Greek word doula means women’s caregiver. Nowadays, we use the word to describe a trained and experienced labor and/or postpartum companion who provides the mother and her partner continuous emotional support, physical comfort, and assistance in obtaining information before, during, and after childbirth.
Is a doula like a midwife?
NOPE! Unlike a midwife, doulas are not medical professionals and therefore cannot administer medication or give medical advice. Staying within the scope of the standards of practice of birth doulas, a doula will not perform a medical exam or monitor blood pressure and fetal heart rate. She does not make a medical diagnosis or offer a second opinion.
Will a doula speak for me during my labor if I can’t?
NO. Most importantly, a birth doula does not speak for her clients. She will not make decisions on behalf of her clients, nor does she project her own values and birth desires onto the birthing mother. What a doula WILL DO is offer another pair of eyes and ears to help the birthing mama understand what’s happening during her birth. A doula can offer information to the birthing couple so that THEY can make the best decision for their family.
Does a doula have to be certified?
In the state of California, a doula is an unregulated profession, meaning they do not have to be certified to perform the duties of a birth or postpartum doula. But most doulas are typically certified, and practical training is involved to gain experience and knowledge enhancing the birthing couple’s experience.
Why do I need a doula?
Traditionally, this role was filled within the birthing mother’s family or tribe. Grandmothers, mothers, sisters, aunts, and experienced women all gathered around the birthing mother to ease her transition through labor, birth, and motherhood. In ancient traditions, specific rituals and practices were performed with and for the new mother. In this modern day society, the beautiful tradition of an entire village gathering to support and celebrate birth has been lost. Families are separated by miles and time. As a society, this role has been commonly released to the medical professionals. The medical care team, however, has their hands full with their medical protocol. A doula is there solely for the birthing mother and her partner, not the hospital or the medical care team.
Can’t my partner be my doula?
A doula recognizes that birth is a key life experience that the mother will remember forever. She understands the physiology and the emotional needs of birth. A doula stays by the side of the mother throughout the entire birth as her comfort and advocate. She facilitates communication between the mother, partner, and care providers. A doula’s role is one who nurtures and protects the woman’s emotional experience of her birth. The quality of emotional care received before, during, and immediately after birth is a vital factor in the mother/child bond. A birth doula provides continuous physical and emotional support and assists in gathering information for her clients. A doula becomes an integral part of today’s birthing mother’s tribe, lending her experience, training, and birth wisdom. The birth partner and doula work TOGETHER to support the birthing mother. She doesn’t take over for the partner, but instead assists and serves the partner as well.
What exactly does a birth doula do?
A birth doula’s primary role as a member of the maternal care team is to offer a continuous presence for emotional support, physical comfort, non-clinical advice, and guidance for the mother and her partner. She lends her advice on comfort measures offering relaxation, rhythm, and ritual comforts such as breathing, relaxation techniques, movement and positioning. She comforts with touch, hot and cold application, hydration, water soothing, and sensory comforts. She offers another pair of ears to hear and eyes to see throughout the birth, keeping the birthing couple informed of the progress of labor and the options available to them.
Will a doula help me have the birth I really want?
YES! Her role is to help her client experience the birth she desires, facilitating communication between the birthing person and her partner and between the birth parents and their maternal care team. When birthing mothers are celebrated and supported, the natural passage through motherhood is a beautiful journey. Having a birth doula at her side can raise confidence and gently ease this transition. Partners also feel a greater connection to the birth and are equally affected by the presence of a doula.
Is hiring a birth doula really worth it?
ABSOLUTELY YES!! Studies show that having a doula present during birth is associated with reduced mortality rates, improved overall health of the mother and baby, shorter labor times, reduced risk of cesarean births, and a lower need for medical interventions such as instrumental delivery or pain relief. Having a birth doula may also reduce the mother’s negative feelings about her childbirth experience. The emotional support of an experienced guide can make all the difference.
How can you help me have the birth of my dreams?
I’m passionate about birth. I really listen and have a heart to serve. I’ve been drawn to motherhood for as long as I can remember. As a child, I dreamed of having my own baby and starting my own journey through motherhood. In high school, I took every class I could that would gain me more knowledge about motherhood. In college, my degree was Early Child Development. When I held my first child for the very first time, I felt as though I had arrived at my calling; I had stepped into my purpose. It is my heart’s desire to reach women, right where they’re at, to empower them to be the best mothers they can be for their children, their families, for the world, and ultimately for themselves — each of us is a unique gift to this world, waiting to blossom and bloom into the beauty she was created to be, to leave her fingerprints, to take up space, to make a difference. Through each of my amazing pregnancies I embraced the miracle of birth, the wonder of the human body, and have sought to learn more about our power through pregnancy, labor, and birth. It is an incredible journey!! I feel a deep calling to love mothers and to help them experience their birth and motherhood journey in their own unique and beautiful way. I am a doula.
