What's A Doula?

This is the question I found myself asking when someone brought up that they would be using a doula for her delivery.  I had seriously never heard of  a doula. I am going to guess I'm not the only one this applies to.  Again, I turned to The Business of Being Born film for a general education on the topic. 

A doula is someone who offers physical and emotional support to a woman and her family before and during labor as well as immediately following birth.  What does that mean?  A doula uses comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation and positioning.  A doula also provides information and reassures the mother and her partner (1).  A doula doesn't take the place of a healthcare provider.  doula's are different from labor and delivery nurses because you are the only person they are taking care of during your labor and delivery, they are focused only on you. 

How do you pick a doula, and when should you pick a doula?  It is recommended that you have your doula chosen by the end of your second trimester.    According to doula association DONA, it is best to speak with several doula's to find the best fit for you.  DONA recommends asking questions about the doula's training and background as well as his/her experience.  Another important question is about their fee schedule.  They might not be as expensive as you think!  For additional interview questions, visit this website.

Do a quick search for doula's in the Des Moines area, and you will find there are many available.  DONA has a search engine on their website to find local doula's.   

There are many benefits to having a doula at your side during labor and delivery.  Women who work with a doula are 40% less likely to have a cesarean section according to the American Journal of Public Health. 

In 2006, a study was conducted of women's childbirth experiences. The study found that only 3% of woman in the United States had a doula attend the birth of their child (2).  A 2012 study of 2,400 women who delivered a single baby in U.S. hospitals between 2011 and 2012 concluded that 6% of women had a doula attend their birth.  Another 27% of women from the same study indicated they didn't have a doula, but wanted one (3).  The studies indicate the number of women using a doula as part of their birth team is on the rise in the United States.  

As a final note, here are a few things that doula's don't do.  Doula's are not medical professionals and do not perform medical tasks such as vaginal exams.  Doula's do not deliver babies, and doula's do not change shifts.  They are also not intended to take over the role of your partner in the birthing experience. 

1. http://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/
2. http://www.childbirthconnection.org/pdfs/LTMII_report.pdf
3. http://www.ajmc.com/journals/issue/2014/2014-vol20-n8/potential-benefits-of-increased-access-to-doula-support-during-childbirth


-N

Birth Options- It's OK To Question

Some people call it skepticism, but I like to call it being inquisitive. However, when it comes to birthing options I call in to question "the norm".  When you think of delivering a baby, the first thing that comes to mind is a woman in a hospital room in bed during most of the delivery.  I don't know about the rest of you, but the thought of that just makes me want to run away screaming.  To be honest, when the topic of kids comes up, labor and delivery is the thing that first comes to mind and that pretty much dismissed the thought of kids from my mind.

I am a total sissy when it comes to pain; I know I'm not the only one out there.  When it comes to the very thought of labor and delivery, my lady parts started to freak out.  Most years I can't walk into the OB/GYN for my annual appointment without feeling like I want to run away, and I really like my OB.  I say all this to paint a bit of a picture for you of just how much the whole idea scares me.  I have always maintained when it came time for me to have a baby, I was going to be rolling up to the hospital asking for an epidural.

Over the past five years, I have watched many friends have babies, some of them more than one baby.  While talking to them about their experiences during childbirth, it got me thinking, "there has to be another way".  Some of them have had very easy labors and some of them not so much.  But, I thought to myself, "why am I so afraid of delivery".  Recently, I had lunch with another friend who also does not yet have kids.  We discovered we both have much the same fear when it comes to delivery; pain.

So, I have started on a journey to uncover some alternatives and challenge my mindset about delivery.  I would like to take you on this journey with me as I go through the various options.  Feel free to comment on posts if you have suggestions, recommendations, or general comments.  I love talking to people about this topic as I find everyone has their own unique thoughts on the matter.  I think it is important to open up a dialogue and challenge the status quo on the topic of childbirth, labor and delivery.

While surfing Netflix one Saturday morning and seriously wondering if I had watched every decent thing there was to watch, I came across a documentary called More Business of Being Born.  It actually has several parts to it on various topics.  I picked the first one and started it up.  A little ways into the film, Andrew came downstairs to see what I was up to.  He ended up sitting down and watching the rest of the film with me.  I remember texting a friend of mine who lives out of state after the film was done talking about how much my mind was blown by the film.  Andrew and I have actually had a number of conversations about the film since watching it.   

The things they talked about were absolutely eye opening, but made total sense.  Now, I try not to be a bandwagon person, so I didn't want to buy into what they were presenting in the film without researching further to back up their claims.  Some light research confirmed the information presented in the film.  I found the original film to the serious The Business of Being Born online and quickly watched it as well.  I sent a text to the friend I had been talking about labor and delivery with and told her she HAD to watch the film; we had lunch a couple weeks later to discuss.

After watching both films, I found I had more questions than answers.  The films did a great job of explaining things like what a Doula is and his/her role during delivery.  They also explained what a Midwife is.  However, I had more questions.  I wanted to know if there were options for Doulas in the Des Moines area?  Do we have Midwives in Des Moines, and can they deliver in the hospitals, or will I have to deliver with a doctor?  Are there options outside of delivering in a hospital?  Why are so many women induced?  What did women do before the days of an epidural? These were all questions I had as I have started my journey of questioning the norm when it comes to delivery.  I have tried to focus my research on local options to calm my intense fear of the delivery process.

Each post in this series will focus on a different option I have looked into.  My goal in these post is to educate others and encourage them to look into other options rather than accepting the norm.    

-N