I am thinking about hiring a doula, just wondering if they can really help you to have a "natural birth"?
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I was very glad I had a doula. She had lots of suggestions for pain management and I think she really helped me avoid an epidural. I was induced so the contractions were pretty intense, but she had me trying all kinds of things and was just a soothing, supportive presence. It also helped that she was a licensed massage therapist!
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I had a doula and meds and that was always the plan.
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A doula is there to support you in the choices YOU have made, so if you want an unmedicated birth, she'll support you in that, and yes, she can help your chances to have one. Doula attended births have:
50% reduction in the cesarean rate
25% shorter labor
60% reduction in epidural requests
40% reduction in oxytocin use
30% reduction in analgesia use
40% reduction in forceps deliveryBUT, and this is a big but, those stats are because women who hire doulas are often PLANNING on an unmedicated, natural birth.
They don't have to be though. Doulas are still a great support for those planning on a medicated birth.I guess the bottom line is - a doula will help you achieve the birth you want, whatever that may be.
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@pointybird: I was looking at the list of services and I noticed in-home prenatal massages on there. I could use one now!
@Arden: If anything, having a shorter labor would be a big plus since my first was very long, but I hope that my second labor will naturally go quicker anyway. Thanks for the info!
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We had a doula for Charlie's birth, which turned out to be a c-section.
It was a mixed experience... I was grateful to have someone there to help, and she had come highly recommended from a friend. But she was very deferential even though as first-time parents we had no idea what we were doing!
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I should also add that while I was hoping for an unmedicated birth, I was open to the idea of an epidural. It was my first and I had no idea what I would want or how I would feel. I made sure my doula understood that if I asked for drugs, I wanted drugs and she was very supportive of that!
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@mrbee: why was it a mixed experience? .....
I am also interested in having one for #2 just in case we can't get anyone to watch DD and DH has to stay with her. I don't want to be alone in the hospital. =(
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@Andrea: A great doula is definitely worth it!
Our doula kept asking me what I wanted. What the heck do I know about childbirth? For example, Bee went into labor and I called up the doula from the hospital. She kept asking me if I wanted her to come in. She could've explained that first-time moms tend to have longer labors, and that she would be able to do a better job if she was more rested... or whatever factors were on her mind. But she just kept asking me what I wanted her to do. I only give that example because she kept asking me open-ended questions like that all night long.
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@mrbee: Gotcha, I will keep that in mind when interviewing people, thanks!
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I had a doula for #2 for the same reason that if DH had to be with DD, at least I wasn't alone. It worked out though that the doula and DH were with me since we got someone else to watch DD just in time as daycare ended and I went to the hospital.
One thing I liked too is that it took the pressure off of DH a bit. It's not easy for him to be the sole support person for me while in labor. Yes, this was #2 for us, but you know, it really felt sort of new again and he is just not the "labor support" person type. Without family nearby either, it was just a good option for us.
My labor went so fast though, I think that was the reason I went med-free. One thing beneficial about the doula is that the moment I mentioned I felt the slightest need to push, she said, let's go to the hospital. I was a bit hesitant because it was only 4 hrs since the first contractions, but thank goodness we listened to the doula because I was 9.5 cm when we got there.
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@mrbee: You know, doulas are actually taught to do that. The reasoning is that it keeps a doula focused on supporting the PARENT's wishes, as opposed to pushing her own opinions/preferences onto the parents.
Ideally though, a doula would talk through everything with you before the birth, at the prenatals, so that during the birth she already knows your wishes and doesn't have to ask. -
@Arden: In my own work, I talk to lots of people who need to make a quick decision on something important. I try to give them the basic information that they need to to be informed, and then let them make the decision themselves.
I agree that it can be easy to inadvertently push your own prefs onto someone else, but I've gotten better at not doing that. I'd rather risk that then push someone to make an uninformed decision on the spot!
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