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Doulas

Don't Give Birth Without One!

June 7, 2010--Lansdowne, Virginia

You ask, "what is a doula and why should I hire one? For centuries, women have surrounded women during childbirth. Doula is a Greek word that means "woman servant." Doulas are trained in non-medical ways to best serve women during their births so that they can have better birth experiences. Because of this, a doula becomes an important part of the birth team along with the care provider. Doulas attend births.

How does a doula serve the woman during labor so she can have the best birth possible? A doula provides continuous emotional reassurance, physical comfort (such as massage, counter pressure to help with contractions, and relaxation techniques) and informational guidance to the birthing mother. She is non-judgmental about the mother's birth wishes and is there to support her choices during her labor and birth. In addition, a doula suggests ways the father or partner can become more involved during labor and birth and also helps them feel better knowing there is someone by the mother's side if they need to take a break to eat or rest.

Studies have shown that doulas offer many benefits. According to DONA International (Doulas of North America), some of these are that the presence of a doula decreases the overall cesarean rate, decreases the length of labor, decreases Oxytocin use (a drug used to induce or augment labor), decreases the need for an epidural, decreases the mother's request for pain medications, decreases the need for forceps and vacuum extraction, helps fathers or partners participate with confidence, gives mothers greater satisfaction with their labor and birth, and increases breastfeeding success. All of these benefits help to ensure a more positive birth experience for both mother and baby!

How does one go about hiring a doula and what is the cost? There are several organizations that have doulas for hire, as well as doulas who work for themselves. Most doulas will conduct a free interview to make sure the mother feels comfortable with the doula she will want to hire. It can be beneficial to the mother to interview more than one doula so that she can make sure she finds the right doula for her.

The fee for doulas varies depending on experience and services provided such as offering photos and/or video of the labor and birth as well as a written birth story. Because doulas are passionate about what they do and feel that all birthing women deserve to have a doula, they are often more than willing to work out a payment plan or some other type of arrangement if there is financial need. Some doulas who are training to become certified will often provide doula services free of charge.

Now that you are aware of a doula's role, hopefully you'll realize that hiring one for the birth of your baby is a good decision. You get one chance to birth your baby, and the choices you make can impact you and your baby forever. To ensure you have a positive birth experience, hire a doula. You'll be glad you did!

This article is written by doulas Lori Pendergast, CCE, BWI and Jodi Moore, CD of Birthing From The Heart Maternity Services. Lori and Jodi are doula partners and attend births in the Northern Virginia area. Please visit their website at: www.birthingfromtheheart.com or contact Lori at: 703.779.2945 or Jodi at: 703.297.7580.


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