"The doula you bring with you will be the only person whose sole responsibility is to make you more comfortable and to help you labor as effectively as possible."
-Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
(In order to meet each mommy's specific needs, this package will be custom created and modified during our consultation.)
A birth doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, physical, and informational support to individuals and their partners during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.
"Labor companions (doulas) support women in four different ways. Companions give informational support by providing information about childbirth, bridging communication gaps between health workers and women, and facilitate non‐pharmacological pain relief. Companions are advocates, which means they speak up in support of the mother's needs. Companions provide practical support, including encouraging mothers to move around and provide massage. Finally, companions give emotional support, using praise and reassurance to help women feel in control and confident, and provide a continuous physical presence.” (World Health Organization)
The birth doula offers continuous support and advocacy to ensure that the birthing person feels empowered, informed, and respected throughout their journey. Research has shown the doula helps to decrease the length of labor, decreases the use of forceps and the vacuum-extractor, and decreases the likelihood of an unnecessary caesarean,. Mother's share that their labor and birth story was a positive experience due to the birth doula's involvement.
During pregnancy, the birth doula will assist with creating a birth plan, answering questions, and providing resources for prenatal education and preparation. The birth doula will provide research based body preparedness strategies as well as childbirth and postpartum education. She will offer emotional support and reassurance including how to navigate any anxieties or concerns they may have about the upcoming birth.
The calming influence the doula can have on expectant partners and family members is often as significant as her effect on the laboring woman. The doula is able to provide many types of support without the emotional ties to the family.
"With our first baby, I was so overcome emotionally that I could not make any rational observations about what was happening. I had no control and had no idea how to help. I truly believed there was imminent danger at every step of labor. " -First time daddy
No, I accompany unmedicated, medicated, planned inductions, planned caesarian sections, hospital births, and home births.
You will still experience early and active labor without medication. (The epidural cannot be administered too early in labor.) During this time, I will be able to provide pain management techniques during contractions.
When you are given the epidural, you should still be able to feel contractions, just not the intensity. During this time, I will continue to be able to change your positions for you in order to help your baby continue to use the contractions to move down the birthing canal. During transition, I will coach you on how to push.
Every birth story unfolds differently. Now that you know and have experienced labor, you may understand and value the importance this time of having a trusted companion to guide and advocate for your desired birth. Many clients decide to include a doula for their subsequent pregnancies when they did not have one for their first birth.
Contact me to have a no obligation call, text, or video call, that’s it!