Why hire doula

Evidence suggests that, in addition to regular nursing care, continuous one-to-one emotional support provided by support personnel, such as a doula, is associated with improved birth outcomes for women in labor. That all being said, in my experience, I see a variety of reasons for the decreased interventions they tend to have clients with good prenatal care, higher socio-economic statuses — etc. However, you have to remember that in the vast majority of cases people who use doulas are more well-off because they can afford a doula they are not part of routine hospital births.

Hence, I take the studies with a bit of grain of salt. Correlation does not mean causation. If you want your husband playing candy crush in the chair while she does the hard work, by all means, hire a doula. BTW, I have a post on my best tips for dads in labor. I love seeing supportive husbands. It shows me that that woman will have the support in her next journey, raising the child.

If you and your husband really want to prepare for this — I have the answer! Yes, they have a basic understanding of labor, but my job is to know ALL about labor. Nurses are up to date on the most current info. My job is to KNOW labor and especially the complications of labor. New doulas are not helpful. In fact, I often find them a deterrent.

It takes more of my time to correct them or to talk through misinformation. If you switch to an epidural or use pain medication mid-labor — will your doula be upset and be unable to support you?

What about going to a c-section — will they support you in that choice as well? Some doulas only want to support home birthers or people birthing the way they think is best. So, when you interview your doula, ask how they support in a variety of ways!

This is REALLY important, because no amount of doula support can help someone have the perfect birth they are hoping for — mother nature has the ultimate call.

A good doula is expensive. This is their job. They make money doing it. In no way, shape or form can a doula give medical advice. They are not trained, medically, and should only support you through communication and basic education to get the information you need to make choices. They also are not trained in any medical procedures including vaginal exams. Many doulas say that they can prevent cesarean section, but in no way can your doula promise that. They can help, and there is a LOT you can do to try to avoid one — but it can not be guaranteed.

No doula can promise better outcomes just for your birth. SO many moms get educated themselves, but when I created my class I knew that partners needed the support as well.

People love all the experience, how quick it is to get JUST the right info on your own schedule and I keep it simple and understandable. There are different types of midwives. So, essentially — you could also call them doctor.

There are also lay midwives who go through other training. They often do the work of a doula — in helping with positioning and pain management techinques. However, they may also have several patients — they may not be able to be in your room all the time either.

I want to be very clear that doulas should not, nor are they trained, to do any medical intervention at all. Certified Nurse-Midwives can do many of the things that doctors can do, and are great for a low-intervention labor read: not high risk. It is just as much their delivery as yours. If the thought of having a stranger there bothers them, you need to take that into account. As you get closer to your due date, it will be harder to find one that is good and available.

You should have one solidified by 33 weeks, for sure. It is a good idea to get references as early as possible to start making your choice.

The prices seem to be ALL over the place. Read more. Comments are closed. Click For Services and Pricing. Hello, I'm Stephanie! What is your estimated due date? What number of baby is this?

If you have given birth before, it was:. Please provide us with a few details about your prior birth experience. Where are you delivering? Sinai East Mt. Hospital Name:. Birthing Center. Who is your homebirth midwife? Birth Doula. All birth doulas are certified and come with great references. Each has her own approach, different certifications and philosophy.

ALL are advocates of true unconditional, non-judgemental and compassionate birth support- whether you plan for a natural or medicated birth. Which brings us to the next question:. Info In-person not always possible due to Covid19 depending on hospital, higher rates, less doulas available Virtual including virtual birth support lower rate, safer, many more doula-options.

Which rate and what level of experience are you looking for in your doula? Info Your doula service package includes ongoing pregnancy consultations, creation of your birth preferences, our HOT-sheet, on-call-phase including a back-up doula, home visits, our preggie guide, prenatal questionnaire, breastfeeding FAQ's and much more!

Birth Doula - Preferences. Now, what else would you like in your doula? Anything else? Do you need more information about what a postpartum doula is doing? Click here. Postpartum doula. All postpartum doulas are certified and come with great references.

When plans change, and a little bit of the unexpected comes as it inevitably does! Finally, on this list of reasons to hire a doula, you should hire a doula because they make great birth bouncers. What is a birth bouncer? A birth bouncer, or a gatekeeper, is a person whose responsibility it is to keep the right people in the birth room and the wrong people out.

At a doula prenatal meeting, a doula will discuss with parents about who should be there and who specifically should not. If this is a big issue, a doula may help brainstorm all possible solutions.

At birth, along with dad, she can help protect the birth space by asking Aunt Trudy and neighbor Dorothy to leave. A doula is an excellent choice for many women hoping to have a safe and satisfying birth. Just to recap, these are the top reasons to hire a doula. Lindsey VanAlstyne, the creator of Mother Rising, is a childbirth educator, birth doula, postpartum doula, breastfeeding advocate, and placenta encapsulator. This year Mother Rising was featured on Healthline as one of 's best pregnancy blogs.

Lindsey lives with her three children in North Florida and is always dreaming of cooler weather. I love that you talked how a doula can help in eliminating fear of giving birth because they can provide a calm and encouraging presence. I understand the possible pain that I can experience because of giving birth naturally. I will make sure to consider all your tips. I am in my third month of pregnancy, and I was actually thinking about whether or not I should hire a midwife to help me out.

Thinking and weighing the pros and cons are a bit difficult for me, so it really helped when I found your article. I think I can agree with you that it is encouraging to have someone with me who knows exactly what I feel as a woman.

Thanks a lot! Definitely how it feels sometimes as a doula and I love having a term to put with it to describe it to clients. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Takes Pressure off Dad Historically, dads have never been expected to assist moms in birth. Accessible for Support Another one of the reasons to hire a doula is that doulas are available for phone, text, email or in person support before birth.

Sometimes these questions are very similar to the questions below. Should I go to the hospital? What do you think?