The Value of a Doula
Why is a doula a valuable asset to your birth team? Birth doulas are trained to give informative, emotional, & physical support to a laboring woman.
Having a doula present decreases the risk of cesarean by 25% & shortens labors by 41 minutes on average. (http://Evidencebasedbirth.com)
A doula is there with you from the time of hire until several weeks postpartum. This means anytime you have questions or concerns we, as your doulas, are there to guide you either through texts or phone calls. If we are unable to help you we are a bridge to many other resources who can be of help. We often hear from clients that it’s nice to have someone they can just text or call when it might not be necessary to reach out to their provider.
Kelsey said, “I had 2 days of practice labor prior to our baby making her arrival... being able to communicate with (my doulas) during those two days were essential in keeping my sanity and remaining at peace for when true labor would finally start.”
Erin said, “She was non-judgmental and unbiased when helping us write our birth plan and was so incredibly calm during the birth of my son. She helped me learn how to support my wife during childbirth. (My doula) knew exactly what to do during the birth of our son and was a calm, unobtrusive presence.”
We do several meetings in the comfort of your home to discuss your wishes and get to know each other. We carefully help you form a birth plan that outlines your wishes, go over laboring positions, comfort measures, positions to push in, the stages of labor, postpartum basics and answer any other questions you might have. When we arrive to your birth we guard and hold your space, give physical and emotional support throughout your labor and birth, answer any questions and give suggestions on positions when needed, and wait until you are snuggled up and comfortable with your new baby before we leave.
Throughout the birthing process we are trained to help turn/rotate babies in the pelvis so that birthing may go smoother for the laboring mother and baby.
Jaelyn said, “They were whatever I needed them to be - my verbal encouragement, my main source of pain management with the rebozo, and (my doula) even helped me move baby down two stations when I was stalling out and considering transfer.”
No matter how you wish to birth your baby, from scheduled cesareans to home births, we are always in your corner. We provide non-judgmental support and give you evidence based facts along the way. Our goal is for you to have a positive, empowering experience.
xoxo,
Bella Birth