• At what point will you join us in labor, and will you come to my home if I am not ready to go to the hospital yet?

      I join my clients at the time and place of their choosing, once an active labor has begun (and speak with them by phone as necessary to help them determine when that has happened).

• Do you work with backup Doulas? Could we meet them?

      Because of my central location, I am able to attend births in a variety of locations over 3 states. For that reason, I do not have any one backup Doula. I do, however, have contacts with colleagues in most areas, and can arrange a suitable backup Doula local to a client's birthplace upon request. Part of the ensuing arrangement is the backup Doula's attendance at one of our prenatal visits, so that she and my clients may meet.

• How do you see your role as a Doula?

      My role is to support and protect the laboring couple's vision for their baby's birth. I make sure they have the information needed to feel confident, the physical support to remain as relaxed as possible, the emotional support to feel safe, the privacy and atmosphere needed to feel comfortable, the water (and snacks or breaks for the partner, if desired) to function properly, and the pictures to preserve the memories of it all! I try to take care of the "external" needs, so that a couple is free to focus more closely upon each other, their labor and their baby.

• What do you think the father’s (or other partner's) role should be during labour?

      The birth partner has the unique position of being closer to the mother and baby than anyone else in the mother's birth circle. The main role of the birth partner is to bring comfort and show loving reassurance to the laboring mother and her baby. Other attendants at the birth should do what they can to facilitate their labor together.

      In a case where the birth partner is the baby's father, the experience of labor has the potential to bring the couple closer together. I think that when the father is encouraged to take as active a role in his baby's birth as is comfortable for him, his satisfaction with and enjoyment of the experience is increased, empowering and transforming him as he embarks upon the journey into fatherhood. I also believe that a father's active participation in the birth nurtures his bond with the baby, and provides a strong beginning for the family. On the other hand, since he is so emotionally invested, a father can find labor and birth overwhelming and stressful at times. For this reason, he cannot be expected to fill all roles - lover, protector, coach, servant, masseur, objective advocate, informant - having a professional Doula present takes some of that pressure off of the father, allowing him to labor more closely with mother.

-> click here to read more about how Doulas support fathers, in a great article by Polly Perez <-

• I have given birth before and know what to expect; should I still consider hiring a Doula?

      No two births are alike (ask me how surprising my own second birth experience was)! A wide array of factors can contribute to a need for an extra set of hands, extra emotional support, or somebody to help decipher options if an unforeseen circumstance arises. Very often, women and couples who did not have a Doula supporting them for their first birth experience decide to hire one for subsequent births.

• I am giving birth at home or at a freestanding birth center under a Midwife's care; why should I hire a Doula?

      Nobody can predict the exact needs of a laboring couple during birth, and rarely is any extra support provided in vain. A Doula can sometimes come to the birth site sooner than a Midwife, especially if a Midwife is tied up with another mother. A Doula has the unique role of being the one birth professional whose sole focus is the mother; even the most available and doting Midwife has to also be aware of the baby's well-being. If any complications should arise and a Midwife has to shift her focus to the baby, a Doula continues to keep the mother as her sole responsibility, and can support the parents through it.

• Will I still need a Doula if I am laboring pain-free with an epidural?

      Even if you plan on receiving an epidural to help relieve pain, a Doula can be a great help. A main reason is that normal protocol is to wait until at least 4 cm before administering an epidural; a woman may find herself wishing for extra support to cope during the wait until she can receive the epidural. Or a woman may plan on an epidural, but unexpectedly find herself in the throes of a fast and intense labor, in which not only could she use the extra support, but there may not actually be time to administer the epidural before she is fully dilated and ready to push.

• Would a Doula be able to help if I were to have a Cesarean birth?

      The Anesthesiologist and/or hospital policy typically dictates who may or may not be present in the surgical suite. If a Doula is allowed to attend the Cesarean birth, she can be a great help in providing reassurance to and calming both parents during what is a potentially more stressful situation, especially when it arises as the result of complications during labor. This is a specific situation where a Doula can help relieve some of the obligations and stress of the baby's father.

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trinity childbirth services - robyn@trinitybirth.com - 603.585.6726