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edition April 08
At Birthtalk we know that BIRTH MATTERS ...
and how we feel about our births is IMPORTANT.
Do I need a Doula?
Although most of us expect to have our partners at the birth of our child, there is much research that suggests the presence of another support person can greatly enhance the experience for everyone. Some partners are reluctant to "share" the birth with an outsider, and worry they will be made redundant in the birthing room if there is someone else there in a support role. But talk to couples after the baby is born. The actual experience of having extra support is usually expressed as a blessing, and a part of their positive view of their birth.Benefits of continuous care
Research indicates that continuous caregiver support during childbirth has a number of benefits, including a reduction of the need for medical intervention such as forceps, vacuum or caesarean, a tendency for shorter labours, and a reduction of negative feelings about one's childbirth experience. Catherine, a mother of two young children, wishes she knew about this before her first child was born. "I didn't think I would need any support, as I knew exactly how things were planned to go. I so wish I had someone to advocate for me, and explain my options in more details, and offer me the continuous care I know I needed. I could see the birth just getting away from me, and I didn't know where to turn.".
Who will be there for me?
So who is going to provide this continuous presence throughout the labour if it is so beneficial? Usually not the obstetricia...they are generally only called in towards the end of the labour. Traditionally this support has been provided by midwives, but currently our health care system places many limitations on our health carers. And this is especially true of midwives. In our hospitals, midwives are generally unable to really get to know women prior to their birth. So they are unlikely to be aware of your particular needs, and the "flow" of birth you are looking for, and are often unable, due to hospital policies, to remain with a woman for her entire labour.
Doula definition
Many women are now seeking the services of a professional support person (known as a doula) who see their job as supporting both partners as they enter this new phase of life. A doula can stay with the woman at all times, as well as act as an advocate on your behalf, to work with the midwife to ensure that, as much as possible, your birth is a positive event.
Kay, 37, is a mum who recently experienced a vaginal birth after caesarean (vbac), and hired a doula to support herself and husband Jake. We asked her some questions about the experience...
Birthtalk : Why did you choose a Doula?
Kay : Having experienced hospital policy with the birth of my number 1 child that culminated in a possible unnecessary emergency cesarean, I could not imagine giving birth in the hospital environment without the support of a doula. To know that I was going to take a doula second time round probably gave me the confidence to proceed with falling pregnant.
BT : Did having a Doula enhance the experience for you in any way?
Kay : Birth is an extremely personal event, physically opening parts of yourself that very few people see over the course of your lifetime. I needed the support of a woman who had already done that, who had absolute confidence in a woman's ability to birth and who had spent many years present with birth. I needed her confidence, knowledge and belief.
BT : How did you feel knowing your Doula was there for you?
Kay : I knew that my birth experience was going to be supported and validated. That if there were need for medical intervention, it would have been an intervention decision that I had participated in instead of being subjected to.
BT : Did having a Doula change the way your husband participated in the birth?
Kay : My husband did not have to be so defensive of my space and needs, and so could attend me in other ways. Having the additional person there was an assistance
BT : Would you recommend having a Doula to other women?
Kay : If I were contemplating a third baby I would take a doula again. I would sincerely recommend that any women contemplating pregnancy or pregnant to research this option. The step into motherhood following a supported birth is streets ahead of the step into motherhood following my [previously unsupported] birth where I felt a failure.
©Birthtalk2007
> To read more about Kay's journey to her empowering vbac, click here
By Birthtalk�2007