Here is the role of a birth doula from DONA International:

• Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
• Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
• Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
• Stays with the woman throughout the labor
• Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
• Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
• Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman’s memory of the birth experience
• Allows the woman’s partner to participate at his/her comfort level

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.  That sounds good to me!

It seems imperative to have a doula in my situation: wanting a natural birth in a hospital.  A doula can help me make informed decisions in the moment, based on my true desires.  Ideally, I would like to be in a birthing center with a midwife (I’m on a few waiting lists…), but I feel confident that if everything is going well in my labour that I can have an intervention-free birth in a hospital.  I just have to be prepared.  That is why my husband and I have asked my mother to take on the role of our doula.  Luckily for me, my mother has recently trained to be one!  I was going to have her in the room anyway!  But, trust me, she is going to be my doula, not my mother in this instance.

A postpartum doula provides service to the family after the birth.  The role of a postpartum doula is to “do whatever a mother needs to best enjoy and care for her new baby. A large part of their role is education. They share information about baby care with parents, as well as teach siblings and partners to “mother the mother.” They assist with breastfeeding education. Postpartum doulas also make sure the mother is fed, well hydrated and comfortable.” – DONA International.  This extra support could be instrumental in making the transition from couple to family.  I am making sure my mom sticks around for a few days!

Did you have a birth doula? How would you describe her role in your labour and delivery?

Did you have a postpartum doula?  What kind of things did she do?

DONA International Birth Doula FAQ’s

DONA International Postpartum Doula FAQ’s

The Doula Guide to Birth: Secrets every pregnant woman should know by Ananda Lowe and Rachel Zimmerman

Did you write a birth plan? I plan on writing one.  I am having a hospital birth because the waiting lists for midwives is long and lonely in Montreal (to be fair, we just moved here and I didn’t get on the list until I was already eight weeks pregnant).  So far, I have had one visit with my new doctor and felt very comfortable with her.  The hospital has a great breastfeeding policy, in accordance with the World Health Organization.  They also implement the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, although I don’t think they are accredited by Unicef.  I admit that in my first visit the actual birth (and therefore my ideas of what I want) didn’t come up.  I didn’t bring them up.  I have my second appointment next week and I am going to make sure I begin the conversation.  I am sixteen weeks pregnant and I don’t think it’s too early. I believe that the more I talk with my doctor, the more she’ll understand my needs.

This will be my first child, but I feel lucky that I already have a few birth experiences.  I was in the delivery room when both my nieces were born.  My sister had midwives for both births.  The insight of watching my sister be fully in control of her experience was eye-opening.  Her midwives were gentle guides, but my sister was the boss.  Up until her pregnancy I was under the belief that you just go to the hospital and do what the professionals tell you!

I don’t want to make out like I think hospitals, doctors and nurses are barbaric goons that want to pull my baby out with forceps because their shift ends in ten minutes, but there is a reality to just allowing routine hospital practices to be performed during births (see the slightly sensational video below).  I’m not ready to have a home birth.  Although low risk home births are just as safe with a midwife as low-risk hospital births, I want to be in a hospital with professionals there to take care of baby and me if something goes wrong.  If something goes wrong…  If all is going normal and naturally as our bodies are designed, than I want to have limited (no!) medical intervention.

So I am going to write a birth plan.  I am going to put as much detail as I can and be sure that my husband and my mother (a trained doula, who will be in the room with me) know what I want and will act as my voice when I am in the throes of labour kindly requesting drugs!

My birth experience will directly impact the first few moments and minutes, hours and weeks with my new baby.  I realize my birth plan will have to be flexible, but more importantly it has to be written.  I want to breastfeed.  I want to have a natural childbirth.   My birth plan is my way of supporting myself!

This is a very intersting short documentary posted on www.thebirthingsite.com about the topic.  It definitely promotes home births and birthing centres, but the bottom line is that it promotes empowerment.  We have rights and choices when it comes to our bodies and our babies.  Knowledge is power!

Did you write a birth plan?  How did having one (or not having one) affect your birth experience?
I would love to hear stories!
~Sara @ Momzelle

Here are other resources:
Writing a Birth Plan

Top Ten DO’s for writing your birth plan

Know your options

• breastfeeding dolls (the newborn or toddler attaches to his mother’s breast with velcro or a snap fastener, some are actually really cute waldorf style dolls, see below)
  

  Breastfeeding Doll Wearing a Nursing Top, by Cotton Mother Dolls

  

  Breastfeeding Doll by Amamanta Family

  

  Breastfeeding doll by MamAmor

• birthing dolls (the newborn can get in and out of the mother’s womb, probably a very good way to show a toddler how he will actually become a big brother or a big sister)

Birthing Doll by Toy Garden

Waldorf style Newborn by Fairy Wool Dolls

• anatomically correct dolls (the main difference with regular dolls is that those actually do have genitals, men and women alike).

Some are African-American dolls, others Hispanic dolls or birthing black dolls, the list goes on. They are all made by hand and for sale on the web, mostly geared towards birthing educators like midwives and doulas, who can use them as teaching tools for their clients, or for parents who want to get as far away as they can from the Barbie type doll. In fact, I do not think you can get much further away !