Doulas are Essential Support for Laboring Moms and Their Partners
When a woman finds out that she is pregnant, she steps onto the winding path of becoming a mother.
This is a time of wonder, and also brings a sudden thirst for more information – about what to expect with her body, about pregnancy, during birth and onwards towards caring for a newborn. While an experienced female relative has traditionally filled this supportive role, and is still a wonderful family resource when available, the professional doula has become a tremendous asset in modern birth. Doulas are experienced, trained, labor-support privately hired by families to be with them during the labor and birth of their babies. They sensitively provide continuity of care, share knowledge of the normal process of labor and birth, and use their experience to ease the mother/baby’s birth process. Some doulas specialize in postpartum care as well.
Families may be introduced to the idea of doulas through books like Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, or through a childbirth education class (CBE) such as the Bradley Method or Birthing From Within. (See my blog for more; Books That Midwives & Doulas Suggest You Read.) Natural birth CBE classes tend to emphasize the power of birthing without pain medication, and help their students feel very empowered about how & why to birth under their own power. In my opinion, the insightful back-up of an experienced doula is especially invaluable if you are in a medical setting and intending to birth naturally, as the system is set up for institutional over biological processes. Of course, doulas will help any parent be more informed and feel more supported in any birth, from a planned C-section to a planned homebirth.
Overcoming the past
There are also pregnant moms who have a previous birth experience they don’t want to repeat – perhaps having felt isolated, bullied into medical procedures, or left with lingering trauma. As a consequence, these moms (and their partners) have an especially urgent need for educated & personalized support during their birthing process.
The modern health care system is enormous, organized around profit, and prioritizes a medical approach to birth, rather than personalized care during a normal & generally healthy process. The doula’s belief in the normal process of birth and her essential continuum of care provides a nurturing buffer for the sensitive young family. Mothers may lean on their doulas for any combination of support, such as:
Medical advocate – In a setting such as a hospital, there is a tendency for patients to feel intimidated by authority, and especially so when they are in the vulnerable state of opening to powerful contractions and sensations. Doulas improve their clients’ experiences by being a witness to the interactions, reminding parents of other questions & perspectives to consider (when asked), and helping both mother & provider to continue to prioritize her wishes in the birth journey.
Experienced guidance – Parents are often surprised to find out that nurses will not always be inclined or able to fulfill the role of comforting and guiding them in their labor– their role and tasks are medically-based first. But throughout time, experienced women have comforted birthing mothers, and much of that lost community is now be thoughtfully met by a birth doula. The presence of a doula has been found to help to dramatically reduce interventions and need for pharmaceutical pain relief. It undeniably helps to smooth the way to have someone there that is experienced in both the birth process and hospital protocols to reassure parents and offer fresh ideas as they navigate their birth.
3. Support for father/partner
Dads and partners are having their own experience in the birth process, and must be free to be available to the mother in the ways that best suit them both, which may not always be hands on and constantly present. It’s asking an awful lot to turn every woman’s partner into a ‘birth expert’ or ‘coach’, and expect them to feel qualified to know what questions to ask and what positions to suggest! If the birth is long, or especially strenuous, then just one person may not be enough to help keep mom physically supported, hydrated, nourished, and encouraged! Having a doula on board means that the father/partner often comes out of the birth process more informed, less stressed, feeling more supported, less exhausted…. and therefore better positioned to support his/their family heading in to the challenges of postpartum.
4. Resource – Birth is rarely a swift linear experience! It’s more likely to be an evolving journey of variation, different between mothers, between families, even between different pregnancies. Since everyone has often only been to one birth (their own!), or maybe a couple of births between themselves and their friends or family, a doula can bring her experience of 10 or 50 or100’s of births to the table. This also means she’s trained for and seen a whole lot of quirky labor situations, coached moms through a whole lot of contractions, and have acquired a big bag of ‘tricks’ to help things go more smoothly.
5. Help transition to parenting sweetly.
We tend to think that the birth is all about the baby getting out of the mother. But honestly, sometimes the next day, or week, is even harder! Doulas generally have a lot of practical ideas for keeping things on track as the new family acclimates to parenting, needs breastfeeding support, or seeks insight for “what’s normal” regarding sleep & feeding patterns.
The word ‘doula’ is said to be from the Greek, meaning ‘with woman.’ Doulas remind us of the power of trusting the power of a woman’s body to birth, and are devoted to supporting the birthing woman in the labor and birth process she desires. They are passionately committed to personalized care and empowered birth experiences; it’s an intimate experience to share! Do feel free to ask questions and interview more that one doula to find that ‘just right’ match for you!