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The Work Of A Doula
Let's Talk about it. |
All
Aches & Pains
Essential Oils In Pregnancy
Labor
Labor Prep
Loss Recovery
The Work Of A Doula
PHOTO: ("What is a Doula?," 2016) DONA, International defines a doula as “a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible," ("What is a Doula" DONA International. n.d.). Hold your space.Simply put - we hold your space. It is a presence during your labor, using verbal and non-verbal communications that are felt rather than always having to be said, and a trust in the mother and the process of labor. During the storm, we keep the calm. A doula has the privilege to witness and literally feel the power of birth. It's magical. During birth.Based on my experiences with birth, we are available in a number of ways from the interview to birth and after. Let's start with the interview. It is important to point out, we interview each other! This has to be a good fit for BOTH parties. Birth is special and intimate, I want you to feel as comfortable with me as I do you. Once hired, we do at least two prenatal visits that are 1-4 hours in length. We answer your questions about anything and everything - the good, the bad, the ugly and the gross. We also offer phone support and check-ins - we will troubleshoot with you on how to get comfortable sleeping, ask how your doctor's and midwife visits went and talk through any new information that came from these visits and how they affect your plans for labor and birth. If there is something out of our scope or that we can't help with, we will provide you with referrals based on our first-hand knowledge of prenatal massage therapists, prenatal yoga classes, chiropractors, birth classes and more. When the time comes, we will offer birth support and talk to you through contractions and determine whether they are true labor or just a warm up. We answer your calls and texts throughout the night when it is true contractions and you aren't quite sure you need me, but you do need guidance on early labor to get comfortable and maintain your endurance. We are on call from 37/38 weeks on. Meaning, we drop everything to get to you when you decide you need more support. During labor, we will suggest different positioning or ideas to help labor progress, to get more comfortable and to provide options and choices. We even squeeze your hips during contractions with back labor. The physical support (rub your back, catch your puke, turn off lights, shut the door, pull curtains, feed you ice chips) is just a small portion of a doula's work compared to the emotional and familial support a doula brings. We are here to encourage you when something comes up unexpectedly, reassure you of signs and progress, and keep the environment calm and supportive. Never do we "take the place" of anyone, but we will quietly and politely guide your partner to help you with positions and how to relieve the intensity of a contraction through this guidance, and we will update your family and friends on progress. If or when your priorities change, I will remind you why you hired us and ask if you need time to process decisions so you don't feel pressured to make decisions on the fly. It's our job to remind you of your preferences and goals when labor challenges you. After birth.Why stop the support there? We have just been through one of life's major moments together! We will never leave you hanging without support after. The very first hour after the birth is the most crucial to breastfeeding success. The sooner the better and we are here to help. We will then check in with you in the first 24-72 hours to see how you are feeling, validate the experience and help you begin the processing. We then come to your home in the first 1-2 weeks after birth to reflect and remind you what a badass you are! References
Make Images, Videos and Web Stories for Free in Minutes | Adobe Spark. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://spark.adobe.com/sp//sp/ What is a doula? DONA International (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula/ What is a Doula? (2016, July 1). Retrieved from http://www.thrivebirth.org/blog/whatisadoula
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