Frequently asked questions
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What is a doula?
Doula comes from the ancient Greek, meaning “Woman’s servant.”
A doula is a professional birth coach who is an advocate and provides physical, emotional, informational support to women during the prenatal, birth and postpartum periods. A doula gives physical support (massages or counter pressure, setting the ambiance in the room, walking around with mama, feeding or helping mama drink), emotional support (encouragement, having their presence, reassurance, praise, etc), informational support (suggests techniques + positions), helping explain medical procedures, and advocacy (asking what the mamas preferences are, supporting their decisions, making sure their voices are heard during the process, etc). Doulas do not provide medical care, but are knowledgeable about the birth process.
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A doula can help reduce the likelihood of a cesarean, may shorten the length of labor, reduce epidural and analgesic requests, increase mother’s satisfaction of birth experience and increase new parents confidence in the care of their newborn! Whether this is your first or fifth birth, a doula in attendance can help with the overall experience.
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A doula does not replace the role of your partner, but should rather complement or enhance the experience! Having another support person with you allows for your partner to take breaks when needed but for the birthing mama to continue to feel supported. Having a doula will also let the partner enjoy the experience more as they don’t have to remember everything from their birthing classes taken months ago.
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I became a doula after having support during my births (my husband and mom were at all 3 births). My husband and I took a birthing class from a doula but she lived out of the area so she couldn’t attend my birth. We were mentally prepared but I didn’t know the emotional, physical and spiritual support I would need from both of them. They were both amazing in different ways. They helped me stay focused on my goals during delivery and offered so much encouragement. My third birth transformed my life and led me here. I want mamas to feel the same encouragement, excitement, and confidence about their own births.
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The sooner, the better! I recommend interviewing a couple to see who would be the best fit for you. Once you have that established and know that they have an opening for your estimated due date, you can get started with the process. Some doulas book out months in advance so it’s best to do it as soon as you know you want to work with one.
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Absolutely. There is a lot of preparation before even getting to birth that a doula educates on. In the event of an epidural or Cesarean, a doula will continue to support emotionally and educationally. Once it comes to pushing, a doula can also be very helpful as well. Whatever you choose, a doula is there to support + encourage.
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A midwife is a trained medical professional who can do many of the same things doctors do. They will see you for your monthly prenatal appointments and will deliver your baby. A doula provides emotional, physical, educational support to a mama during pregnancy, labor + delivery and postpartum. They play very different roles but both are beneficial to an awesome experience.
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