What is a doula, and why would you want one?
So far we have covered care providers, childbirth classes and some of the other decisions you'll have to make. Now you need to decide: do I want a doula?
First of all, you need to know what a doula actually is, and what she (or less commonly, he) does for you during pregnancy and labour!
Doula: the word doula comes from ancient Greek language, and means "a woman who serves". A more modern definition is, a doula is a woman who is experienced in childbirth who provides advice, information and emotional support to a woman before, during and just after childbirth.
A doula can provide informational support to you by helping you decipher the medical terms, helping you research your options regarding pain management, and helping you experience birth in a way that is as joyful as possible.
According to DONA (Doulas of North America)
"Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth
-tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
-reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
-reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
-reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals
Research shows parents who receive support can:
-Feel more secure and cared for
-Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
-Have greater success with breastfeeding
-Have greater self-confidence
-Have less postpartum depression
-Have lower incidence of abuse"
(http://www.dona.org/mothers/why_use_a_doula.php)
If you've made the decision to use a doula, do your research on doulas in your area. There are many different personalities working as doulas, and you may not mesh with all of them. Some are what you might picture, wearing long skirts and totally hippy, others may be more type "a", wearing the latest fashions and seem like they should be working in the corporate world. They all have the same end goal, making sure you feel empowered during labour and childbirth and helping you feel confident in your decisions, but they may have different ways of supporting you.
I highly recommend interviewing several doulas before making your choice, asking about their philosophies, how they plan to support you, and how they plan to help your partner support you. Make sure they work well with you and your partner's beliefs and hopes, and that they fit well personality wise.
A doula has a big bag of tricks up their sleeves and may have additional training in various support techniques, including Rebozo, massage, accupressure, aromatherapy etc that may be discussed in prenatal meetings. During labour, a doula should come when you decide you need them and should stay with you until after the baby is born, providing continuous care and support to you throughout your entire labour--no matter how long that may be!
