Why I Hired a Doula

The first time I ever heard the word doula I was 28 years old and getting a therapeutic massage each week to help treat chronic tension headaches. I absolutely LOVED my massage therapist and not just because she made my neck and shoulders feel great. She was also very sweet, easy to talk to, and found a way to help me work through even the most painful treatments.
What is a Doula?
One day we were talking about how my husband and I had decided it was time to start trying for a baby and how excited I was to have found a midwife with whom I really connected. The therapist started telling me about how she was training to be a doula and that when I did get pregnant I should consider having a doula as well as a midwife. I felt like an idiot but I had to ask her, “what’s a doula?”. She explained that basically, a doula is a helper for the laboring mother. Doulas are sometimes referred to as labor coaches but that can be deceptive since many people attend childbirth classes where their spouse or partner learns to be a coach. The doula is not there to take the place of a spouse during labor and delivery. Rather, their purpose is to provide comfort, encouragement, and information as well as to act as an advocate on the mother’s behalf.
My First Labor or Why I Need a Doula This Time

A Doula is Not a Doctor (or Midwife)
The website www.americanpregnancy.org does a good job of explaining what one should expect from a doula.
Doulas do not provide any type of medical care. However, they are knowledgeable in many medical aspects of labor and delivery. Consequently, they can help their clients gain a better understanding of the procedures and possible complications of late pregnancy or delivery. During delivery, doulas are in constant and close proximity to the mother. A doula acts as an advocate for the mother, encouraging and helping her fulfill specific desires that she might have for her birth. The goal of a doula is to help the mother experience a positive and safe birth, whether an un-medicated birth or cesarean.
As most readers know, midwives can’t practice in the state of Alabama (or at least, it’s near to impossible to find one that does because of all the hoops they have to jump through). I have no desire for a home-birth and I don’t want to travel to Tennessee and give birth at a center. What I really want, a Certified Nurse Midwife who can deliver at a local hospital, I can’t have. The next best thing for me is having a doula, someone who has attended a few (or a few hundred) births and won’t freak out the way my husband and I might. Someone who can knowledgeably talk about what things I might or might not want on my birth plan and who can keep me (and my husband) calm and focused as we try for a VBAC.
My Doula
I feel so lucky to have found Brittany and we’ve already met a couple times to go over what I can expect, she’s helped me develop a birth plan and even attended my last OB/GYN appointment so she could meet my doctor before the delivery. I feel very confident that no matter what happens this time around, I’m much more prepared than last time and I’m more likely to get an experience I can look back on fondly for the rest of my life.
[box type=”info”] To find out more about doulas or to find a doula near you, check out the following websites: doulamatch.net, findadoula.com, or doulaworld.com[/box]Rocket City Mom is a website about raising children in and around Huntsville, Alabama. Started in late 2010 by a local mom and newcomer to Huntsville, Rocket City Mom has grown into a thriving community of local parents and now boasts a staff of four, thirteen regular contributors, and tens of thousands of Tennessee Valley readers making it the #1 Parenting Resource in North Alabama.
Well, I am a DONA trained doula, so I, obviously think they’re pretty important. 😉
I, too, had an induction with my first child that led to a c/s. 2nd baby, I had a vbac with out a doula (but with a planned epidural.) 3rd baby, by doula never showed (don’t get me started here….) 4th baby, different doula, but baby girl decided to come while she (the doula) was on vacation. (However, had it not been for my doula’s encouragement via phone, I may have had my sweet girl at home versus in the hospital as planned.)
As an aside, you can totally rock your VBAC! (I had 3 VBACS and I am a huge supporter!)
I had a Doula for my first pregnancy and birth and highly recommend it. I wanted someone there by my side constantly who was familiar with hospital routines and everything else surrounding a typical birth. I needed someone to help keep me calm and explain things that nurses might not have time to explain depending on how many patients they have to care for at the time. My husband was my primary support , but having a Doula helped us both have a more relaxing and positive birth experience.
I had a midwife birth with my 2nd and a doula (who was also a midwife in training) is actually the one who was with me for most of the birth and helped encourage me. I would have loved to had one with my 3rd but it just didn’t work out that way, even though we birthed in the hospital. (long story) With this baby I plan to use a midwife again and both she and the midwife training with her sound like they will be awesome to support me in labor! I definitely think having a doula, especially for hospital births, if you are going natural is the way to do it. 🙂
Hi, I enjoyed your article. I’m 24 weeks pregnant with my first and will be moving from Chicago, IL to Huntsville, AL at about 34 weeks (late in the game due to my husband getting a job there). I had to call around but I actually was able to find a CNM in Huntsville. They aren’t legally allowed to have their own practices but I found someone who delivers in a local hospital, “technically” under a physician’s watch. I’m trying to decide now if I also want to have a Doula.
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