Doula Support

The application of the Midwifery Model of Care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section. May 1996 Midwifery Task Force

 Pregnancy and birth are normal life processes. Quality of prenatal care has a vast affect on birth outcomes. The best prenatal care includes one that addressed both the physical and emotional wellbeing of the mother. The traditional Medical Model of Care has an attitude that birth is an event that needs to be controlled, monitored and managed within a certain amount of parameters. Often centered on pain medications, continuous monitoring and interventions; there is an incredible level of fear around birth
in North America which has lead to the over medicalization of birth.

Read moreBringing the Midwifery Model of Care into the Medical Prenatal Experience

All babies have an innate instinct towards breastfeeding. Babies are naturally born knowing the way to the breast. What gets lost in the ability to successfully breastfeed is often the lack of support for mothers.

Babies know how to signal to the mother when they are hungry and when they are full. They know how to regulate the breast milk and make adjustments so that they get their individual nutritional needs met. Feeding in shorted periods can make more liquid / more water and longer feedings make for thicker nutrient milk.

Read moreBreastfeeding and the Doula

Studies are showing 25%-35% of women within the United States are reporting that their births were traumatic. This indicates that approximately 1 in 4 women report their birth as traumatic. That is 1,400,000 women a year in the United States are suffering with trauma symptoms after childbirth. Between 1.5% and 9% of those women develop the full blown symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. That is somewhere between 60,000 -360,000 American women who develop PTSD after childbirth. Between 1.5% and 3% of women who experienced a ‘normal’ ‘non-traumatic looking’ birth develop Post Traumatic Stress Affects which a milder form of PTSD.  3.2% women who get PTSD symptoms after childbirth that do not have any history of mental health and do not fall into any high risk categories for developing PTSD.  To differentiate even further, there is a real difference between PTSD and Postpartum Depression. Treatments are different. PTSD is an extreme form of anxiety disorder and treatments for Postpartum Depression are not successful for PTSD. <?

Read morePTSD From Childbirth and the Doula

Dr Cynthia Gabriel PHD and doula from Michigan comes from a rich background in anthropology studying the cultures of birth in Canada, Russia and the United States as a doula. I once hear her speak about her experience of supporting 65 births in a Russian hospital where all the births were completely natural with absolutely no intervention except 1 which was a C-section due failure to progress. This kind of statistic is unheard of in the United States! Her assessment is that the outcomes of birth and the use of medical intervention are largely cultural. In the United States birth has become highly medical-ized fundamentally, due the mass commercialization from pharmaceutical companies, allopathic medicine and mass media that have molded an idea that only external applications can assist in healing. Were as in Russian, the culture has a general belief that the body was designed to have a more natural healing ability.

Read moreReflections on Natural Childbirth at the Hospital

Childbirth is an experience that many women wish to undergo without medication and chemical interference. This desire is not without good reason. Much research proves that all the medications offered for labor and delivery interfere with both mom and babies brain chemistry thus creating unnecessary stress that can take away the feelings of joy and accomplishment that accompany natural childbirth. Some research coming out of pre and perinatal psychology is pointing to how chemicals used during birth can indicate drug addiction later on in adult life. Chemical births can make labor and delivery more painful (for both mom and babies) and longer recovery time.

Read moreKeys to Natural Childbirth when Delivering at the Hospital

It is a common miss-conception that doulas are only for women who plan to have a drug free, natural or un-medicated birth. While many women go into labor with a ‘birth plan’ and specific wished to how things will go, Birth is full of surprises. It is important to me that parents know I do not judge their decisions in the labor room and I will continue to support throughout their birth – no matter the outcome. My support is un-conditional. Choosing an epidural is not a decision made lightly. And there are situations in which I feel an epidural is the wisest choice, especially in situations where the labor is very long or un-usually painful due to the use of induction drugs. In fact, having a doula in the room can greatly increase the success rate of an epidural by encouraging massage and movement techniques to keep labor progressing along. One of the risks of an epidural is that is can greatly stall labor but having a doula that understands how to work with an epidural can work wonders. Below are some ways a doula can offer support around the use of an epidural:

Read moreDoulas Are For Women Who Want Epidurals Too!