~ affirming life and motherhood through supportive care ~
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are my answers to some of the most frequently asked questions I receive. If you have more questions, please feel free to contact me directly so that I can get you the information that you need.
What is a doula?
The word “doula” is an ancient Greek term meaning “woman who serves.” A modern birth doula is a trained and experienced labour companion who provides the labouring mother continuous physical comfort, emotional support, and assistance in obtaining information before, during, and shortly after childbirth.
Why do I need a doula?
Birth is a highly emotional experience. As your doula, I can offer the emotional support both you and your birthing partner need. I am here to calm your fears, reduce your anxieties, and share in your joy!
As your doula, I can offer you a variety of physical comfort measures to support you during your labour. My doula bag accompanies me to every birth, filled with tools to offer you the comfort you need. Using these tools and my knowledge of hands on comfort techniques, I can provide you with continuous physical support during your labour through massage, counter-pressure, repositioning, and getting you anything else you need (did I hear someone say ice-chips?!).
As your doula, I can provide credible sources to the information you need. I will also help you know the right questions to ask your primary health-care provider.
As your doula, I will support your birth preferences and empower you to advocate for yourself. (See more under “do doula’s only support ‘natural’ births.”)
Research* tells us that women who have continuous support by a person who is not on staff at the hospital and not part of their social network, have the following positive outcomes:
28% less likely to have a caesarean section
31% less likely to use synthetic oxytocin to speed up labour
9% less likely to use any pain medication
34% less likely to rate their childbirth experience negatively
(Hodnett and colleagues 2011)
Nurses and other medical professionals are there to ensure the physical safety of the mother and baby. A doula extends that care to emotional support and physical comfort measures. While many nurses go above and beyond to make sure that their patients are cared for, they have multiple patients at once and are unable to offer the continuous, uninterrupted support and comfort measures that a doula can offer you.
Your primary support person (husband, partner, family member, or close friend) offers something to you that no one else can: an intimate knowledge and understanding of who you are and a love for you and your baby. As a doula, my goal is to strengthen the bond between the two of you during this intimate and intense experience and to be able to provide a calm, objective perspective during an emotionally heightened time. I am not here to replace your birth partner! Instead, with my training and experience, I can guide your birth partner into supporting you well, while also extending my support to him! Dad, you’ve got this!
Do I still need an OBGYN or midwife?
YES! It is important to understand that while doulas have experience with birth and are trained in providing effective comfort and support to labouring mothers, we are not medical professionals. Here are some examples of tasks that are outside a doula’s scope of practice:
blood pressure monitoring
vaginal exams
fetal heart rate monitoring
catching the baby
giving medical advice or diagnosis of conditions
making decisions for you (medical or otherwise)
Do doulas only support “natural” births?
Research* tells us that one of the key factors in determining a labouring woman’s satisfaction with her childbirth experience is the level of her involvement in decision-making about her and her baby’s care (Hodnett 2002). My goal as your doula is not to tell you how to birth, but rather to learn what kind of birth you desire or are planning for, and to support you in achieving your birthing hopes.
I can offer my doula services in a wide variety of birthing circumstances, including the following:
home birth
hospital birth
unmedicated birth
birth with medicated pain management (epidural)
induction of labour
caesarean delivery
No birth is superior to another…I am here to support you in your birthing experience, the way you envision it. I want to advocate for you, not by speaking on your behalf, but by making sure that you are heard. As your doula, I will advocate for you in the following ways:
Asking you what you want
Supporting your decision
Encouraging you to ask questions and verbalize preferences
Creating space for you and your birthing partner to ask questions and gather information without feeling pressured
Teaching you and your birth partner positive communication techniques
Amplifying your voice if you feel you have been dismissed (e.g. “Excuse me, she has a question. I couldn’t tell if you heard what she asked.”)
Making you aware of things a doctor may be doing that might be against your birth preferences. (e.g. If you wanted delayed cord clamping and the doctor picks up a clamp directly after birth I might say, “Dr. Johnson has a cord clamp in his hand. Did you want to ask what he is going to do or if it can wait a few minutes?”)
When should I book a doula?
Here at Birthing Hope Doula Services, I will work with you at any time during your pregnancy! You can book me as early as your first trimester to ensure that you secure your booking with me during your birth month, or, if you only just realized your desire for a birth doula, you can book me as close to your due date as necessary upon availability. Please note that if it is too close to your due date, I may be fully booked for your birth month, but don’t let that stop you from reaching out to check! Ideally, I would prefer to have you secured as a client before the beginning of your third trimester, so that we can begin discussing your birth preferences and have ample time to prepare.
*Research
The most recent and largest systematic review of continuous labour support summarizes the experiences of over 15,000 women who participated in 21 randomized controlled trials. The authors conclude:
“Continuous support during labour has clinically meaningful benefits for women and infants and no known harm. All women should have support throughout labour and birth.”
Hodnett ED. Pain and women's satisfaction with the experience of childbirth: a systematic review. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002; 186(5) S160-72
Hodnett ED, Gates S, Hofmeyr G J, Sakala C, Westion J. Continuous support for women during childbirth [PDF]. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011, Issue 2.