Relationships June 26, 2018
Do you need a birth doula? This will help you decide.
If you’ve ever had a child, plan to have one or are currently expecting, you may have wondered how to best prepare yourself for the pregnancy, labor and postpartum. In your research, the term birth doula might have come up. Why should you hire a doula when you already have a great doctor, and what is a doula anyway? Is it the right option for you? Keep on reading, and you’ll find the answers here.
A doula is a labor support companion with professional training in childbirth, according to the American Pregnancy Association. They provide a mother with non-medical physical, emotional and informational support before, during and after giving birth. Unlike midwives, they do not have medical training.
Fun fact: Although “doula” in Greek means “a woman who serves,” there are also male doulas (and to our disappointment, the technical term for them is not “dudela”).
A birth doula is like a mother who can give you advice and tips, but based on training and not only on personal experience. Because they do not have the emotional stake in your pregnancy that a mother would, a doula can better understand your boundaries and give you answers and recommendations while letting you make the decisions — without smothering you.
A doula can answer questions to help both the soon-to-be mother and her partner prepare for birth. They are a resource for everything related to pregnancy, labor and the period after birth, as well as how the mother’s partner can prepare themselves and support the mother through all of it.
Many doulas serve as the emotional support counterpart to a doctor, who mainly gives medical advice. A doula can teach expecting mothers breathing and relaxation techniques, and other strategies to make pregnancy and labor as easy as possible.
During birth when mothers are focused on labor, the birth doula serves as the mother’s advocate and makes sure that the mother’s wishes are met.
Studies have shown that having a doula decreases the overall cesarean rate by 50 percent, the length of labor by 25 percent, requests for epidurals by 60 percent and the use of oxytocin (a natural hormone that causes the uterus to contract and induce labor) by 40 percent.
If you’re deciding whether or not to work with a doula, you might ask yourself if your friends and family can suffice as your support system or if you would prefer an objective professional who is trained in childbirth and can provide you with practical advice and emotional support.
While you can probably get all the necessary information about birth from your doctor, friends, family and even the internet, the risk to overcomplicate things and freak yourself out is high when the world wide web gets involved. A birth doula can offer you a different perspective — a non-medical and more personal one — from that of your doctor. More importantly, if you are planning your first childbirth it might calm your nerves and give you peace of mind to know that you have a trained resource at your fingertips. A birth doula can be very helpful in preparing you mentally and emotionally for labor and the time after.
According to the International Doula Institute, in big cities like San Francisco, Washington DC, New York and Los Angeles birth doulas charge between $1600 to $2000 per birth, depending on their years of experience. In smaller cities, the price can range from $600 to $1200 per birth.
As you plan for your birth, consider what you need and want. Do you need someone to give you advice and tips that go beyond the medical aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum? If so, a birth doula might be the right answer for you. Each birth doula has a different approach, and it’s important to consider whether their support style is a good fit with your personality, expectations and birth plan.
Explore your options and make sure to ask the questions that matter to you before you decide who is right for you, or if you need a birth doula at all. You can start the search for your perfect birth doula at DONA International.
