You need a Doula

I'm late again.. I should have made this goal for Wednesdays instead of Monday. Sorry. Shtuff happens.

Let me start of by saying, I did not have a Doula at my first birth. Well.. sort of. It's complicated. I didn't sign up for a Doula. I did have a midwife who has been a Doula for a lot of years though so she functioned as a Doula. She and her midwife partner along with my husband took care of me.

What is a Doula? Technically, the word means female slave... Coming from a soft feminist, I actually like the definition because that is exactly what it is. Doulas serve a birthing mother. I could go into further detail and try to explain what my interpretation of a Doula actually is, but I feel like that isn't doing you a favor. Doulas are personal to your birth experience. They are exactly whatever it is that you need.

Here are 5 reasons I now know that I NEED a Doula at my next birth.

1) They keep their wits about them for you:During DONA training, we are told that we need to have unconditional love for our pregnant and birthing mothers because we may be the only place they receive this. At the same time, we aren't to get personally attached so that we can function as your advocate. It's really easy to say that you want a natural, drug free, non induced pregnancy and birth but when it comes down to it, 10 months feels really fat and gross and there are some pretty intense times during labor where you just may want to give up on your plans. Your Doula will do everything in her power to help you have the birth experience that you intended to have with her. She will remind you and comfort you through the intensity. She will also know when to say when. If a change of plans is needed, she is there to support you through that as well.

2) They've done this before....:Doulas attend a lot of births with varying experiences. Doulas accompany mothers through extremely different pregnancies. Essentially, they have heard it all. Your Doula is on call for you from 2 weeks before your baby is due, until you have babe in arms. Towards the end, you might feel like you need some relief. *Your Doula can suggest yoga positions or exercises that may help relieve pressure. Doulas can also assist in minor breast feeding ailments.

There is no need to be embarrassed about whatever happens to fly out of your body during labor in the presence of a Doula. Yeah, she's seen it before. It's cool. She can also help keep other people in the room calm and maintain a peaceful birthing room.

*Always ask your care provider before taking any supplements, even something recommended by a Doula as Doulas are not allowed to prescribe.

3) In a word.. massage:One of the fun things about Doula training is that we get to practice massage on each other. We get kinda good at it. ;) Doulas know techniques that will help your body release natural pain killers which will help you succeed in having your drug free, natural childbirth. They can also teach your partner some of these techniques so the can tag team your limbs if that is what you need to make it through. 

4) They advocate for your birth plan:You've spent a lot of time figuring out just how you want your birth to go. Whether you want things all natural, or a planned c-section, your Doula is there to advocate for whatever it is you need. She can direct you to research which will arm you to face medical staff when they come in wanting to poke you against your wishes. She can toss the towel on the ground that nurses place on your chest before baby is born. She can fight for you. Nurses are sometimes intimidated by Doulas for this very reason but a good Doula brings a gift basket and turns the nurse to her side. :)

5) Doula attended births are proven to have less intervention:

According to evidencebasedbirth.com “Overall, women who received continuous support were more likely to have spontaneous vaginal births and less likely to have any pain medication, epidurals, negative feelings about childbirth, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and C-sections. In addition, their labors were shorter by about 40 minutes and their babies were less likely to have low Apgar scores at birth.” http://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-Doulas/

This post just touched on some things that I find important about a Doula but please feel free to research for yourself. You should always feel comfortable with the Doula you pick. It may be an extra expense but in the long run you are very likely to save time and money. 

Feel free to comment below with suggestions or just to say hi.. or whatever.:)

Are you sporting the bump? If you are, you should check out Joy for some gender reveal party ideas and printables! 

Also, check out Polka Dots and Bunker for some tips on grocery budgeting.

Thanks for reading!