Who needs a doula? If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, I would NOT give birth without a birth doula. We worked with a doula for each of our births and found her role to be an integral piece to the successful and healthy delivery of our babes. Remember, the midwives are doing the “medical” work of delivering the baby. Birth doulas are providing the informational, emotional, and physical support throughout pregnancy, delivery, and in the hours and early days postpartum.
Now, there isn’t anything wrong with not choosing to to work with a birth doula. I know plenty of women who were satisfied with their birth outcomes, though I know more women who didn’t use a doula and who didn’t walk away with as positive a memory of their birth outcome as they could.
At My Healthy Beginning we have a Birth doula team to meet your needs.
In short, here are a few benefits you may see by hiring a birth doula:
- shorter labor
- less (or no) need for pain medications
- more mobility during your labor
- peace of mind that things are moving in the right direction
- support for your partner (and we thought doulas were only for mamas!)
- more satisfactory breastfeeding experience
- the use of comfort measures in labor (positioning suggestions, etc)
- less likely to have a surgical birth
- less of a need for piton to “speed” things up
What some mamas had to say about whey they chose to hire a birth doula:
- “More support for me and the MR.”
- “Extra support during birth.”
- “To feel fully supported ….so I could receive the physical and mental support and encouragement and also so that my hubby could receive those too during labor and post birth.”
- “To have a calming presence amongst the other energies present, an extra set of hands to support my aching sacrum. Guidance for my husband was important, too.”
- “Extra coaching for pushing.”
- “Extra knowledge, experience & expertise to put us at ease both during the pregnancy and postpartum.”
- “Knowledge and comfort support for me and future dad.”
- “I was afraid of pregnancy and birth. I hired my doula before I conceived.”
- One papa had this to say about their experience: “I was so thankful for all the education I received on what was going on and how to coach, thank you so much. Jessie worked SO HARD and I was so proud of her. She did do everything without any medication and earned every minute of her, as you called it, “love cocktail.” Thank you for everything it really made a BIG difference.”
So, who really needs a birth doula?
- someone who wants additional physical and/or emotional support during labor and delivery
- someone who wants to spend as little time laboring as possible (doulas are known to shorten labor time with their presence alone!)
- a woman who wants to avoid unnecessary medical intervention
- you, because your partner thinks is a good idea.
- a family looking to carry positive and warm memories of their experience forward
- a mama looking to include older siblings at her upcoming birth
- a mama wanting someone with experience in the room
- you, because your mom offered to pay for it.
- a woman who feels uncertain about her birth surroundings
- a woman who has past birth trauma
- a woman who had a bad breastfeeding experience the first go round
- you, because your best friend said so.
If you should decide to hire a birth doula, here are some helpful links local to the Twin Cities:
- Questions to ask when interviewing a birth doula
- Where to give birth in the Twin Cities
- Where to take childbirth education in the Twin Cities
It was a no brainer for Chad and I to hire a birth doula for each of our births. I wanted the extra support of a doula, and Chad wanted the extra set of eyes and hands on deck. We both have such fond memories of the love, strength, and intimacy our birth experiences gave us. Even though I was a doula at the times of all my births, my last birth was the only time I found myself acting as my own doula. You have to understand none of this was out loud-it was that loud quiet space in my head telling me where to squat, how to hang, where to breathe into, and I had to continually turn that off and hand myself over to the strength of Chad’s arms and how powerful his words made me. I had to fall into my doulas arms in the middle of our street, rely on her yummy oil concoction to decrease my back pain, and revel in the space she held for us.
