To Doula or Not to Doula

Okay so a lot to write about today.

First off, we had our 19 week ultrasound yesterday. Rye was unable to attend because of work so I was flying solo. It's a really long ultrasound because they have to take a lot of measurements, not good for the bladder! The technician was really nice and gave me 3 pictures of the baby, free of charge, without me even asking her! She couldn't tell the sex of the baby because she couldn't get a clear picture, but she thinks that my doctor might send me back in a week or two because she couldn't get a good picture for the radiologist. She told me that everything was fine with the baby, I'm a bit skeptical only because I don't know how much the technicians can really tell you. But I'm not going to stress over it until I hear from my doctor. I have an appointment next Thursday anyways.

My friend Sarah called me last week and asked if I wanted a doula, my response was yah definitely but they're expensive (around $1000), she said that this one was free, they need to volunteer to get their certificate. So I called and Melissa is her name. We had a brief talk and she explained that July was too far away and she was looking for someone who was giving birth sooner but she said that if June rolled around and she needed more experience then she would keep me in mind. So then she called me last night and said that she was thinking about it, she's really passionate about pregnancy, and she wants to be our doula. We chatted for a bit and she said the next step was for me to talk to my husband then we would meet in person and go from there. You're probably wondering what a doula is?

A doula, by definition, are trained professionals who provide non-medical support to a woman or couple before, during, and after labour. A doula is different than a midwife, a midwife is like a doctor but more involved in the birthing process, they provide prenatal care and deliver the baby (unless you need a c-section, in which case a doctor would have to perform) and provide postpartum care along with breastfeeding support. So I would have both a doctor and a doula. In cases with a doctor, they really just come in to deliver the baby and placenta anyways so if you're looking to a doctor for support you're out of luck!

A little more in depth about the role of a doula...

We would meet with Melissa a few times before the birth to discuss what to expect in labour and Ryan's role in the birth, a doula is not there to "take over", she's there to support us and to help him support me. She would also help us write a birth plan (A written description of what the expectant parents would like to include and what they'd like to avoid for labor and the birth of their child). She would be available to us 24/7 for the 2 weeks up to my due date, if we need to talk or whatever.

During labour, Melissa would help me to be as comfortable as I can be, through the use of relaxations techniques, suggestions for laboring positions, massage, and emotional support. She would encourage Rye's role and also support him in terms of reminding him to eat etc.

After the birth, she would stay with us for 2 hours to help with breastfeeding to ensure the baby is getting a proper latch. I believe most doulas would also make a home visit or two afterwards as well but Melissa and I didn't get that far in our conversation.

So what are the benefits of having a doula?

- Reduces a woman's likelihood of having pain medications and other interventions if that's what the mother wants
- Increases her satisfaction with her birth
- Increases her chances for spontaneous birth
- Helps her feel better about her partner, her baby and her experience
- Helps fathers interact more during labor and birth
- Enhances breastfeeding success
- Creates better maternal-infant interaction
- Leads to less postpartum depression, anxiety, and greater self-esteem
- Leads to greater satisfaction with the birth experience

My main two reasons for wanting a doula are 1) breastfeeding support and 2) labour support - to make a long story short when I was in labour with Nate, once we got to the hospital, about 2 hours after my water broke, my contractions were 1-2 minutes apart and I couldn't recover between them so I had to get the epidural very early on, epidurals slow down labour and I wasn't dilating so they had to put me on pitocin (sp??) to speed up the process and 28 1/2 hours later Nate was born. So ideally this time, I would like to hold off on the epidural for as long as possible. A doula would REALLY help with that.

The hubby is skeptical, I understand his point of view. He doesn't want a stranger there and thinks that it should just be us during the birth. Obviously she would not be a stranger because we would meet with her a few times beforehand. I think he just needs more information. I've spoken with a few ladies on the baby centre message boards and they said their hubbies reacted the same way but were on board once they met with the doula and understood their role. So I'm hoping things will click once we meet with Melissa. I've really enjoyed speaking with her on the phone and I think Rye will come around.

I have to say thanks to Sarah for hooking us up! I'm hoping everything works out!

Did any of you use a Doula for your birth?? Comment and let me know, we need all the advice we can get!!