Doula

Doula & Childbirth

What does a Doula do?

The word, "Doula," (pronounced doo-lah) comes from the Greek word for the most important female servant in an ancient Greek household, the woman who probably helped the lady of the house through her childbearing. The word has come to refer to "a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth."

A Doula supports the mother and her partner through her pregnancy, birth and postpartum, providing her with information, physical and emotional support throughout. Birth is an intimate experience. Many women and their partners have expressed feeling more secure and at ease by having the presence of a Doula, at their birth.

During the pregnancy, a Doula provides the parents to be with information, support and an empathetic ear for any questions or concerns they may have. She helps them prepare for the upcoming labor and parenthood through consultations and classes/gatherings. She assists them to define their expectations and desires for the birth, and communicate these to their Doctor or caregiver through the writing of the parents' birth plan.

At the labor and birth, a Doula is a calm, comforting, encouraging presence. She is someone who has been through birth herself and can support and help the mother using her own experiences, both as a mother and through helping other mothers give birth. She will stay with the parents for the whole of the birth, however long that may be, unless the parents prefer otherwise. This provides parents with valuable continuity, as the medical personal will usually only see a laboring woman intermittently as they usually have many other clients. With a Doula, many women find they have their best chance to have a natural birth, just as millions of women have done. For the mother for whom medical support is appropriate, a Doula is there to reassure her that her birth is equally special.

Soon after the birth, your Doula helps to establish breastfeeding. Your Doula will then visit you postpartum, where she can provide further assistance and information regarding other aspects of baby and mother care. She can assist you in writing up a birth story and detailed notes as a keepsake.

What are the roles of a Doula?

Doulas do not provide any clinical care and are not primary caregivers therefore you will need to chose a primary caregiver like a doctor or midwife. Doulas will be able to assist you in finding the right primary caregiver if requested. Doulas do not speak for you but can help support you in expressing your wishes. Doulas not provide sibling care.

A Doula can help you in the following ways:

provide or help you find information before, during, and after birth so that you can make informed decisions that are right for you in any situation. Unfortunately hospital antenatal classes do not always provide research based information.
assist you and your partner in preparing your birth plan
facilitate communication between you, your partner, and your healthcare
your Doula will walk you through your options if you ask for it, and impart skills that you and your partner can use to communicate your birth preferences to your healthcare providers
stay by your side throughout labor, or give you privacy either alone or with your partner
offer reassurance and emotional support to both you and your partner during pregnancy, birth, and in the early days of parenthood
provide physical support and suggestions for comfort measures during labor (such as massage or positioning suggestions), as needed
remain objective, offering a sounding board for you when you are exploring your options
explain medical procedures and terms when necessary
provide help with breastfeeding, if required or requested

Doulas do NOT:

make any decisions for you - we provide the information so you can make the best decision for you and your baby.
give advice or recommendations; they provide information on your options and help you explore the pros and cons and implications of various choices, so that you can decide what's right for you based on your own values and preferences, and the input of your doctor
speak for a couple or act as their advocate (representative) in any situation, particularly in hospital
make medical judgments or diagnoses
perform clinical assessments or procedures
interfere with medical procedures or give medical advice

What effects does the presence of a Doula have on birth outcomes?

Numerous clinical studies have found that a Doula’s presence at birth:

tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction
reduces the requests for pain medication and epidurals, as well as the incidence of cesareans

What effects does the presence of a Doula have on the mother & baby?

When a Doula is present during and after childbirth, women report greater satisfaction with their birth experience, make more positive assessments of their babies, have fewer cesareans and requests for medical intervention, and less postpartum depression.

Studies have shown that babies born with Doulas present tend to have shorter hospital stays with fewer admissions to special care nurseries, breastfeed more easily and have more affectionate mothers in the postpartum period.

What if I am planning an epidural or an elective cesarean or I must have an emergency cesarean?

Your Doula will support you in whatever decisions you make - this is your birth, not the Doulas and not your consultants or midwife's.

Should a mother choose an epidural once labor has begun and found that other pain relief strategies are not working for her, we support her in that decision all the way. Furthermore, we can help her cope with the side-effects of an epidural, and also suggest ways she can help to minimize the possible side-effects of an epidural on the progress of her labor.

Sometimes after her epidural is placed, the nurses and woman's support team take a break. Your Doula stays by your side, keeping you. Even when the pain of labor is lessened, there are still emotional and informational needs that your Doula can meet.

Should a normal labor progress to a cesarean your Doula will be with you to help you and your partner prepare for this. A Doula plays the same role in an elective cesarean and can also help the couple prepare for the birth in the weeks or months before the scheduled date. For most mother’s, having a c-section can be very scary, yet having someone with experience to prepare you for what to expect can make having a c-section a positive birth experience.

When is the right time to engage Doula services?

Some women choose to engage Doula services as soon as they are pregnant whilst others engage Doula services when they are days away from their estimated due date. Most women decide to engage Doula services when they have decided that engaging a Doula is the right decision for them, sometime after the first trimester. There is no price difference as to when parents engage Doula services.

However, the earlier, you hire a Doula, the better. The more the Doula gets to know you and your partner, the better she can support your needs and you can benefit from her experience. Some Doulas are hired at the beginning of the first trimester, while others hire them during their last month of pregnancy.

Please feel free to contact us if you wish to engage in Doula services.

How much does the Whole Beings Wellness Labor Doula services cost?

This varies, depending on the services you wish. An average Birth Doula services package is $350 to $1000. Packages can be tailored to your needs by adding services, i.e., Childbirth class, Massage, Mother’s Blessing Ceremony, etc., at a discounted charge. Additional discounts are given to clients choosing to use both the Doula service & childbirth classes. I firmly believe in every woman having the option of a Doula during birth regardless of their monetary situation and therefore offer a sliding scale on a per client basis.

My basic Doula package includes:

Free initial consultation
1-2 prenatal visits
Unlimited phone & email support
24x7 on-call service from 38-42 weeks
Present for labor & birth, plus 2 hrs postpartum
1-2 postpartum home visits
Breastfeeding support
Help with writing a birth plan
Access to a variety of comfort measures
One of the following: Mehndi, Bellymask, Private yoga or Massage
1 Postpartum visit with Food Fairy
$10 off any service during your pregnancy and 6 months postpartum
Access to a back-up doula
(Optional) Photography of labor and birth

This is not my first baby, why should I hire a birth doula?

You may feel that you are now well versed in the aspects of labor and delivery but it’s good to remember not every birth is the same. A mother also can always use the extra support because labor and delivery is always overwhelming in some way. Your partner will be able to concentrate more fully on you and the baby when there is someone else to help with comfort measures and make sure you are both cared for.

Does the Doula replace the partner's role?

No, the Doula does not replace the partner's role. Instead, the Doula supports both the mother and her partner. This helps relieve the partner and he is free to focus fully on supporting the mother therefore helping to enhance the birth experience for the partner by helping them better meet the needs of the mother. They “coach the coach“, and allow the partner to participate at their own comfort level. The Doula can take on different roles depending on the needs of the family. The Doula is there to supplement the partner’s effort by providing emotional support to the family on such an important emotional day, physical support like errand running, comfort measures, and educational support, so you can make informed choices.

Which hospitals, Ob/Gyns & midwives support Doulas?

The number of birth professional beginning to be supportive and open to working with Doula s are increasing to meet consumer demand and feedback from more doctors & most midwives is that they find a Doula to be instrumental in helping their clients achieve the births they want. Please inquire with you healthcare professional regarding the number of persons they allow in the birthing suite.

My Ob/Gyn or midwife has never worked with a Doula before, what happens?

Some doctors and midwives are more receptive of Doulas than others. If your birth specialist has never worked with a Doula before, you can make invite your Doula to an appointment well in advance of the Estimated Due Date. During the appointment your doctor or midwife and Doula can discuss their roles, boundaries, work ethics and establish a working relationship to best support and care for you and baby.

I am having a homebirth, do doulas attend homebirths and is it good to have a doula at a homebirth?

Whole Beings Wellness does attend homebirths. There are many of reasons for having a doula at a homebirth. Most homebirthers appreciate the need of extra support and choose to have a doula as well. Some of this is because midwives, though supportive of birth and the mother, also spend more time pre-occupied with midwifery things like setting up, intermittent fetal monitoring, checking of dilation, etc.

Midwives may come much later than a doula does, but they stay much longer (after the birth) than a doula usually would, as well. The bedside manner of midwives varies too. Some are very intent on their job. Others are able to see the whole picture during labor & delivery and offer the verbal and physical comfort necessary.

Can I meet with you first before I decide?

Yes. The initial Doula consultation is free. If you're not sure whether or not you would like to have a Doula at your birth, feel free to contact me to discuss what you are looking for.

Another option for you is to book a Birth Plan Consultation with me to help you decide whether a Doula is right for you. During this visit a Doula can help you to understand the many options available to you for various aspects of labor and birth. A Doula can help you identify steps you can take to optimize your chances of having a positive birth experience, however you define that, and assist you in writing your birth plan. The cost for a birth plan consultation is $50 for 2 hours, $25 every subsequent hour. There is no obligation to book a Doula for labor support, but you come away with a valuable tool: a written birth plan. If you subsequently decide you would like to have a Doula, the fee for the birth plan consultation will be deducted from your total package price, and the consultation will be considered your first prenatal appointment in our package.

Can I pay in installments and what payment methods do you accept?

Yes you can! It’s my wish that every woman have a doula regardless of their financial situation.

· Enjoy a $50 discount if you make payment in full.

· I also offer an installment payment scheme for my Doula package. Full payment must be received 4 weeks before your Estimated Due Date unless some other arrangement has been made in advance.

Is it true that Doulas just support families who choose a more “natural” approach?

Not at all. It is only a myth that Doulas only support natural/unmedicated birthing and child rearing. Doulas are there to support all your choices, whether you want medicine or not or choose to breastfeed or not. Make sure when interviewing a Doula that both of your philosophies are similar, or that she will support your choices. Our Doulas at Birth Solutions will support all your choices because our main goal is to always ensure you have a positive birth experience.

What is the difference between a Doula and a midwife?

Midwives are trained, lay or licensed healthcare providers of clinical care for pregnant woman and their babies and women in their childbearing years. Doulas have no medical responsibilities but are trained to provide emotional support, physical comfort measures and informational resources for woman in labor.

Does Whole Beings Wellness accept health insurance or credit card payments?

As more woman are choosing doulas as part of the birth team, and more research is being done proving the benefits of Doula care, more insurance companies are covering the cost of Doula service. Many insurance providers also cover the cost of childbirth classes, whether those classes are private or in-hospital. However, insurance companies vary on if and/or how much of a Doula's services they will pay for. Many times, a "prescription for Doula Care" can influence the company to cover a Doula. Information needed for filing for insurance reimbursement will be provided.

At this time Whole Beings Wellness is not equipped to receive credit card payments. However, you are welcome to pay via check, money order or funded Paypal.

When in my Pregnancy is it recommended I begin taking a Childbirth class?

It’s never too early or late to take a childbirth class through Whole Beings Wellness. However, the earlier you begin, the more time you have to familiarize yourself with the information, and practice what needs to be done to create an experience which will last you for a lifetime and bring to joyful memories. The childbirth class can be combined with the Doula package and can begin immediately. Semi-private, private and personalized classes are available.

Can I still have you assist me as my Doula if I’m taking a birth class elsewhere?
How will your class benefit me if I’ve already taken another birth class, or if, I have another doula?

The main desire of a Doula is to assist the birth mother and family in their goals and needs. Each Doula and Childbirth instructor has their own “flavor”, if you will. Even two people teaching the same class will express it differently. There, taking several birth classes may be to your benefit if you take what resonates with you, as though you’re selecting what you find appetizing, as well as nutritious, from a salad bar.

In our Childbirth class we will cover:

Preparing for birth
Birth physiology
Nutrition & exercise
Breath awareness & vocalizations
Relaxation & visualizations
Confidence for birth
Coping techniques
Finding your center
Birth choices & communicating your needs/wants
Positions to achieve an easier birth
Comfort measures from birth partner
Letting go of fears
Unexpected outcomes & self-empathy
Welcoming baby & supporting the new mother

What areas do you cover?

We currently serve southern New Jersey (Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland,Gloucester and Salem Counties). I am committed to my neighboring community and want to support local women. I can however, assist you in finding a Doula in your area or someone who is open to traveling to your area.

Where can I find out more information about Doulas?

One of the best resources is to speak to friends and family members who have used a Doula. It’s also recommended to contact local parenting or breastfeeding groups like the La Leche League, Holistic Moms Network or organizations like Childbirth Int’l.

I have more questions.....

Finally, if you have looked at all our information and still have unanswered questions then simply contact us via email or by phone at: 352.562.6262