To learn what a doula is, we had some wonderful posts from Meredith Hocking, who graciously wrote about what and who a doula is:

• What is a doula?
• Part 2 of What is a doula?
• Last installment: What is a doula?

And, she even wrote about how dads and doulas work together and how doulas complement dads:

• Dads and doulas

Some of you may have known that information and others, like me, may have learned a lot from it. But I was wondering if maybe some people reading this blog may actually be interested in becoming a doula themselves. What do you think?

Do you have any doubt about what an important role doulas have? They have a significant impact. Just read Doulas reduce C-section and epidural rates.

Anyway, I came across this article this evening and thought it would be interesting for anyone who may be considering becoming a doula: How To Become a Doula. What do you think? Is that something for you?

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Tags: pregnancy blog, doulas, becoming a doula, what is a doula

Post from: Blisstree

Is being a doula in your future?

Meredith does a wonderful job explaining many things about doulas – you can find all her posts by either going to the “doula” section in the sidebar or by typing “doula” in the search box. But, did you know that doulas are also responsible for helping lower the rate of Cesarean sections and epidurals during labor and delivery?

A 5-year study, which was published earlier this year in the journal Birth, looked at two groups of women those who did have the services of a doula and those who didn’t.

Click here to read more.

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Tags: pregnancy blog, doulas reduce c sections, doulas reduce epidural rate, doulas, cesarean sections, epidurals

Post from: Blisstree

Doulas reduce C-section and epidural rates

D is for dictionary so you can look up all these words.

D is also for:

Dilation: As you prepare to have your baby, your cervix will begin to open, to dilate. It will deliver – believe it or not – to 10 centimeters. That’s not quite 4 inches.

Due date: The date of delivery, or the due date, is estimated based on a 40 week pregnancy (280 days). A good number of women, actually most of them, don’t deliver on their due date, but usually within a week before or after.

Doula: A doula is a woman who is hired to be a woman’s helper during pregnancy and usually through delivery. She helps both mom and dad, actually. But this post describes it a lot better: What is a doula?

And then there are:

• Part 2 of What is a doula?
• Last installment: What is a doula?
• Dads and doulas 
• Finding and Choosing a Doula

Image: iStock

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Post from: Blisstree

ABCs of pregnancy: D is for…

Anyway, here we go, the top 10 posts of the week:

1- No surprise for this one and you still have a few days to enter (until July 14):  3 books to give away. Few things better than reading to your little ones

2- This was an interesting story: 1 boy – 3 mothers

3- I expected more comments on this one, but it has been read quite a bit: Child experts want NBC to cut “The Baby Borrowers,” reality show

4- This is one of the most important posts of the few weeks, in my opinion: Providing baby knowledge and teaching literacy at the same time

5- With this one, it looks like a lot of women are having problems with their sciatic nerve: 2 exercises for sciatica pain during pregnancy

6- Angelina Jolie always seems popular: Celebrity pregnancy: Angelina Jolie

7- This one is an informative and fun post because it includes a give away that is running until July 23, 2008: The importance of prenatal vitamins – and a give away

8- This is always a fun type of post: A pregnancy “meme” or game of tag

9- This is a guest post from author Jill S. Browning: Pregnancy after infertility

and finally, number 10: I love Meredith’s doula posts: Dads and doulas

I hope you all have a great weekend!

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Post from: Blisstree

Top 10 posts at Womb Within this week

(Womb Within has its very own doula)

So you think a doula is a good idea! That’s terrific. But the next question is usually “so how do I find one?” There are a number of options:

Ask your friends and other people you know who have given birth in the past 5 years if they used a doula or know of any.

Contact your local pregnancy resource center or birth center.

Ask your midwife or doctor. Midwives often work with doulas and some have collaborative practices. Doctors may have met doulas who accompanied some of their patients, and may be able to give you names.

Try the certifying organizations. The “big three” are ALACE (Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators and Doulas), CAPPA (Childbirth And Postpartum Professional Association) and DONA (Doulas of North America). There are others, but those are the ones you will most likely hear about. Each organization has their own membership and training requirements. They usually provide lists of certified doulas on their website, and will provide the names of student doulas in your area upon request.

Look online. Some doulas have ads on Craigslist. Others have their own websites. (Google “doula” + your city for starters) In some areas, doulas have formed professional networks to support each other, meet regularly for continuing education, and to be a resource to the community at large. You can also try sites like www.alldoulas.com.

Once you’ve found a few doulas, it’s time to set up interviews. Ideally, you will have two or three doulas you are interested in meeting with. Choose a location that you’re comfortable in – it might be your home or a coffee shop. It’s best if your partner can be there as well, because you are hiring someone to join your team, and it’s important that you both feel comfortable with your new teammate. Allow at least an hour for your interview, more if possible.

Come prepared with questions. There are a lot of recommendations out there for what to ask. If nothing else, ask these:

1. Why did you become a doula?

2. What services do you offer? (In addition to labor support, some doulas offer services such as: private childbirth preparation, prenatal meetings to discuss preferences and practice techniques, will accompany you to a doctor’s appointment, rent birth tubs, help write birth plans, rent birth tubs, do belly casting, or will host a Blessingway ceremony for you.)

3. How do you work with couples prior to labor to help prepare them for the birth?

4. What types of births have you attended? (Home, hospital, birth center, medicated, unmedicated, water, Caesarean)

5. How do you support women during early labor? When do you join a woman in labor, and where?

6. How do you support women during active labor?

7. What is your view on medical intervention, including pain medication?

8. What interventions have you seen? What complications have you seen? How have you helped women through situations that were not ideal?

9. How do you see your role complementing my husband/partner?

10. If the doula has children, ask her about her own births.

Take notes! It will be important for you to have something to review later when you are comparing the different styles and approaches.

Interview all the doulas on your list before making a decision. Yes, even if the first doula you meet feels like your long-lost sister. Each doula you meet with will share information, insight, or ideas you may otherwise not be exposed to. Then, take a few days to discuss pros and cons of each before making a decision. (This is where those notes come in handy!) And please, let the other doulas know you have decided to hire someone else. It’s difficult for the doula to be left wondering what happened when a potential client never calls back after an interview.

If at all possible, don’t base your decision on cost. There are many doulas who will be happy to work out a payment plan, take Paypal if you need to use a credit card, or barter goods/services. You can also “register” for a doula as a shower gift. Maybe a doula is more important to you than every baby gadget ever made. Better to find someone you are comfortable with and who you feel can provide the support you need and want than settle for someone you don’t like just because you can afford her. After all, you will be sharing a very intimate, important time with your doula. She will be with you more than your care provider, your nurse, or possibly even your partner. She will see you at your most vulnerable, and at your most strong, moments.

That being said, if cost really is a factor, consider a student doula. Why a student doula? Doulas who are just starting out and are planning to certify with one of the major organizations need to have a certain number of births to meet the certification requirements (this number varies from organization to organization). It can be very challenging to find women willing to let them attend their births, so they often offer their services at a reduced rate (or even free). Student doulas are full of energy, enthusiasm, and ideas. It is a win-win situation for both of you!

Good doulas will have a contract that spells out charges, payment arrangements, what services are included, and any refund policy. Your doula should also have a backup in case you go into labor when your primary doula is unavailable (out of town, sick, etc.). Alternatively, ask if your backup doula can be the doula you’ve identified as your “second choice”.- in most towns, doulas know each other and are happy to work out the particulars to ensure you get the support you need when you need it. You should both have a signed copy once you have agreed to hire her for your birth.

Book early. Doulas typically take 1-2 clients a month. Some may take 3. But because a doula is on call 24 hours, 7 days a week, for a client 2 weeks before her due date and up to 2 weeks after, slots fill up quickly. The best time to start interviewing doulas is in your 5^th or 6^th month.

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Post from: Blisstree

Finding and Choosing a Doula

(Womb Within has its very own doula)

Susan had been thinking about hiring a doula to support her goal of an unmedicated, low-intervention birth. Her husband, Jeff, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. He felt like having a stranger at what he considered an intimate experience would be intrusive. He didn’t want someone taking his place. He believed he could support Susan during labor just fine, and didn’t know what a doula could do that he couldn’t. After all, he was going to childbirth classes with Susan, and he could do that ‘hee-hee-hoo’ business just as well as anyone else.

So you’re thinking of hiring a doula, and your husband’s not so sure? Or maybe you’re not sure you need one, given that your husband is gung-ho about the  whole birth experience? After all, he can change a tire on the side of the highway in 10 minutes flat, kill spiders, and grill a mean steak. He gives a great backrub, knows just how you like your coffee, and would never think of telling you no. He’ll even hold your purse while you try on clothes. Yes, those are all great qualities, and he gets points for enthusiasm when it comes to birth. But that’s not what’s going to get you through birth.

Simply put: doulas don’t replace dads. Or your mom. Or your sister. Or your best friend. But we do bring things to the table that they may not. Doulas are trained childbirth professionals. We have more knowledge and skills than traditional childbirth classes provide, and we bring a great deal of hands-on experience. Our interest in birth isn’t just for the duration of one pregnancy. We may be attending several births each month, and our “off hours” are spent pursuing continuing education, watching videos, reading books, and sharing information with other doulas and birth attendants, trying to learn as much as we can.

As I mentioned in my first column, birth has long been “women’s work.” It’s only been in recent memory that men were even allowed in to the labor/delivery room. And quite frankly, some men wish they were still left in  the waiting room with football on TV. Your husband may not admit to that, because society expects him to be in the labor room with you. A doula can help your partner be involved at his (or her) comfort level, whatever that is. (An interesting side note: A study showed that as labor progressed, men tend to move farther away from the laboring woman. Women move closer.)

“But he’s going to childbirth class with me!” Typical childbirth class is sort of a “shotgun” approach. Hospital classes usually give an overview of the birth process, attempt to expose you to the interventions you are likely to face (often disguised as hospital policy), such as IVs, constant monitoring, Pitocin, and having food withheld, and provide a hospital tour. They usually include  some basic breathing techniques that most women don’t end up using because they can’t remember them, although they remember they can ask for drugs or an epidural so that’s what they do. A doula can be your “memory” – your resource book of techniques to cope with labor, your quick reference guide of benefits, risks, and alternatives to interventions and procedures. She can interpret medical terms in easy-to-understand language, and remind you of your right to ask for a few minutes to discuss what you want to do before giving consent.

Doulas also “doula” dads. One of my first births was with a teen couple.  The mom was handling her labor beautifully, but there came a point where the baby’s father was overcome with emotions at the way his life was going to change with this baby. So I spent time with him in the bathroom, calming him down, listening to his fears, and encouraging him to be just as strong as she was being, because this wasn’t just about the birth of a child, but the birth of a family, and he played a vital role. Birth is an emotional process, and not just for moms. Doulas ensure that the emotional needs of both partners are met as much as possible.

Birth is also a physically demanding process. It can be long. Labor can last for days, especially for a first time mom. Doulas encourage dads to take breaks, to eat, stretch, and even nap when possible. Do you have dogs at home that need to be let out? Other children that need to be cared for? These are all additional considerations, and it can be quite comforting to dad to know that you are in good hands while he tends to other responsibilities.

Birth is a vulnerable time. When you give birth, you have to surrender to your body, and let your body take over for your mind. This leaves you emotionally vulnerable. And unless you are planning a home birth, you will be in a strange place, with people you don’t know coming in and out of your room. If you are laboring at a hospital, you will probably labor through at least one shift change, if not more. Nurses come and go. Your own doctor may not catch your baby. And yet this is the time when you need stability and consistency the most. Doulas provide that stability and continuity so you can focus on the work that needs to be done.

It is hard to see a loved one in pain or discomfort. Our natural human response is to try to eliminate whatever is causing the situation. But birth isn’t something you can just walk away from. It’s a process, a journey. And even though people want to help, they often don’t know how. That’s where a doula can come in handy. We often model behaviors for your other support people, so they can help you effectively. If you’re experiencing back pain, we may take turns with dad, providing counter pressure. While we’re pushing on your back to help you find some relief, dad can be in front of you, encouraging you to stay focused, to let your body open, and to allow your baby to be born. Your mom can be rubbing your hands while your doula rubs your feet.

As transition starts, you may feel like you can’t go on, that you can’t possibly do this anymore. Things that worked five minutes ago now drive you crazy. Your doula can reassure your partner that this is a normal part of birth, it means the birth is near, and this is the time to help you refocus and remind you of the prize awaiting you. Then, while you’re pushing your baby out, your sister may be cheering you on, dad may be watching in amazement as he sees his son’s head slowly ease out, and your doula may be capturing the moment on film as you see your son for the first time.

After the baby is born, dads often feel torn. They are amazed at the strength, determination, and physical exertion it took for you to bring this   baby into the world, and they want to kiss you and thank you and tell you how much they love you. On the other hand, the baby is here, and he wants to get acquainted with this new being he helped create. If you are in the hospital, it is likely your baby may be separated from you while you are delivering the placenta and being assessed for repairs. Your doula will stay with you, encouraging you to drink, praising your hard work, and enabling your partner to be with the baby. If you have a C-section, this can be even more difficult, because the baby may be in the nursery in another part of the hospital while you are repaired and moved to recovery. Again, your doula will stay with you, so dad can be with the baby.

A doula is another member of your birth team, but her only focus is on helping you achieve the birth experience you hope to have. Her loyalty is to you and you alone. Not to your doctor, the resident, the four nurses you may see, an anesthesiologist, your insurance company, your sister, your neighbor, or your coworker. She supports you and your partner as you become a family.

If you are considering a doula, talk with your husband or partner about what he (or she) feels in regards to a doula. Encourage your partner to attend interviews with doulas you meet. Ask how they work with dads to help facilitate a positive experience. Make sure you are both comfortable with the doula you hire and all of you agree you will make a good team.

Images: Newscom and iStock

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Three-part series: What is a Doula

What is a doula?

Part 2 of What is a doula?

Last installment: What is a doula?

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Post from: Blisstree

Dads and doulas

In this last installment, we learn what an optimal birth experience could be.

What is a doula? (Part 3 of 3)

by Meredith Hocking, Birth Doula (Womb Within has its very own doula)

So what is an optimal birth experience? It is not the doula’s optimal birth experience, but the mother’s. A doula’s role is to help the mother define this for herself, and then encouraging her to make informed choices during pregnancy and labor in order to facilitate the birth experience she envisioned. It does not mean making choices for the mother, but supporting the choices she makes.

Although doulas and midwives share a common belief that birth is a natural process rather than a medical emergency waiting to happen, doulas are not midwives. You won’t find a doula doing clinical tasks, such as monitoring fetal heart tones or checking cervical dilation. We don’t tell a woman how to birth or where to birth.

While we recognize the value of technology in birth, but we also know that it can be overused. We encourage women to give informed consent, regardless of the intervention or technique. To do that, we share our knowledge with her, encourage her to learn as much as she can, and then bring our hearts, knowledge, experience, and an extra pair of hands to her birth, to help her move through her labor dance at her own pace, in her own way.

Throughout it all, we help women learn to trust their bodies, believe in themselves, advocate for themselves and their babies, and find the inner strength they will need to go through this rite of passage, as generations of women have done before. It is this strength and courage that they can then rely on as mothers, to help them continue to make good choices for themselves and their babies the rest of their lives.

In future columns, we’ll look at dads and doulas, how you can prepare for labor, the ins and outs of birth plans, informed consent, ensuring your provider is a good match for your birth philosophy, finding a doula near you, and comfort techniques. If there is something you would like to see, please let us know!

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Post from: Blisstree

Last installment: What is a doula?

What is a doula? (part 2 of 3)

What doulas offer and their training

By Meredith Hocking, Birth Doula (Womb Within has its very own doula)

Birth doulas offer a variety of services, from childbirth classes to birth photography, help with writing a birth plan, and breastfeeding support. Postpartum doulas work with moms after they are back home, assisting with infant-parent bonding, breastfeeding, older children, and household tasks like laundry, light cleaning, and meal preparation. Some doulas provide both labor and postpartum services.

Statistically, women who have the continuous support of a doula during labor and delivery have shorter, easier labors with fewer complications, and use less pharmaceutical pain relief. As one doctor once noted, “If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it!”

Doulas today come to birth with a variety of experiences and training. Generally speaking, most doulas have been through some sort of classroom training, have read extensively, and have observed births as part of their learning process. They may or may not have paid for certification through a national organization.

We also learn “on the job”, with each birth being a continuation of our learning. We seek feedback from doctors, nurses, midwives, and of course the couples we support. Many of us have had our own birth experiences, and often it is these experiences that have driven us to become doulas, either because we received doula support during their births, or because we realized the great benefit doula support would have been to us. Either way, we have a desire to help women achieve an optimal birth experience.

Don’t forget to come back for the third and final installment of What is a doula? Meredith discusses “So what is an optimal birth experience?”

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Post from: Blisstree

Part 2 of What is a doula?

by Meredith Hocking, Birth Doula (Womb Within has its very own doula)

Since the dawn of time, bearing children was a rite of passage, a coming-of-age, and – as such – women have attended women in childbirth. Her sisters, mothers, and girlfriends would gather to provide support – physical, mental, and emotional – during her labor, delivery, and “lying-in” (postpartum).

In early labor, they would help keep the laboring woman distracted, with stories, cooking, and walking. Later, as her labor intensified, they would stroke her, soothe her, and apply comfort techniques handed down for generations. After the baby arrived, they would ensure she ate, had a clean bed, and her other family members were taken care of. They would continue checking in to ensure she was recovering, eating, and assimilating the baby into her daily routine, providing support and encouragement.

The word “doula” comes from the Greek, and literally means “servant.” This term came into favor fairly recently, after birth had moved into the hospital and became a medical event, rather than a social rite of passage in the home. But women recognized that even as technology changed the way they gave birth, it didn’t address their psychosocial needs – the need to have a familiar face who has traveled this road before, who could assure them that they, too, would make it to the other side.

Although husbands were attending childbirth preparation classes with their wives, many women still did not feel they were supported in the way they needed. Husbands are wonderful, yes, but men tend to want to “fix” things. A woman in normal labor does not need “fixing”, but rather a soft touch, a steady voice, and the energy of all the women who have gone before her to help her find her own way on the journey.

A doula is a “servant to the mother”, using her heart and hands to support and guide a woman on her labor journey. We teach fathers and partners how to be involved in the experience, reassuring them about what’s “normal”, modeling techniques so they can be hands-on, and providing emotional support. We know it’s difficult to see a loved one struggle through a difficult task. During labor, we massage tirelessly, provide counter pressure for hours, hold the barf bucket, assist with getting to the bathroom, suggest alternatives when one coping method seems to stop working, encourage hydration and movement, and hold her as she cries. It is not glamorous work. It is long, tiring, and sometimes seemingly endless. But we know the value and long-lasting effects of these tasks, and it is worth it.

Don’t forget to come back for the next installment when Meredith discusses what birth doulas offer and their training.

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Post from: Blisstree

What is a doula?

Meredith is a DONA-trained doula, mother of two very active boys, and wife of a very tolerant man. She believes in the innate strength and wisdom of women, and hopes that all women have birth experiences of which they are proud.

Meredith had two unmedicated hospital births (1997 and 1999), with the support of her mother. She became a doula in 2006 because she had always felt called to be a part of birth, and understood firsthand the impact one-on-one support has on an optimal birth. Eventually, she plans to become a certified professional midwife (CPM), and dreams of opening a holistic birth center in her hometown of St. Louis, MO.

She currently works as a staff doula in a Midwest hospital as well as being an Instructional Designer for a major brokerage firm (something has to pay the bills!). Meredith takes a few private clients each year as Birth Sister Doula Services. In her spare time, she volunteers for Heavenly Angels In Need, making memory boxes and burial garments for babies whose home is in heaven, and for various greyhound adoption groups.

Have you used a doula or do you want to use a doula? Please share your experiences with us.

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Post from: Blisstree

Womb Within has its very own doula