The Purpose and Value of Labour Support
by Vanessa
The purpose and value of a birth doula is far-reaching and significant. A doula offers the opportunity to experience birth as an empowering ceremony. An experience that is protected, honoured, free of judgment and encourages a woman to deeply connect to the power of her body and mind. A doula supports a woman and her partner (if there is one) before, during and after birth. The support is three fold, it includes supporting a woman’s physical comfort, her emotional journey as she transforms through the process of childbirth and offering a wealth of information, advocacy skills and resources. This triad of support is part of what makes the value of a birth doula unlike any other.
It is a doulas role to offer support that is tailored to each woman. Every expecting parent has his or her own personalized preferences and needs and it is the role of a birth doula to offer support that compliments this. Every woman and family is unique; because of this, a doula offers a depth of care that is characterized by individual attention. A doula helps a woman have a positive birth experience, as she defines it.
In addition, a doula supports the partner as well. They can never replace a partner, for it is his or her love and intimate relationship with the birthing woman that runs deepest. Rather, a doula is there to support a birthing woman alongside the partner as a team. A doula can offer explanations and reassurance that things are unfolding within a normal range. They can answer questions a partner has or remind them about questions to ask a care provider. A partner does not have to worry about remembering what to do and when to do it because a doula can show a partner tools to use to become more involved in helping the labouring woman. A doula can be there if the partner needs to eat, use the bathroom, fill out forms, contact family or take a rest etc. Together they ensure the birthing woman is well supported and never left alone.
Birth doulas are not medical providers. They do not perform fetal heart tone checks, vaginal exams or any other clinical tests. They do not make medical decisions, nor do they speak to the care providers about these decisions. They may offer women and partners information and questions to use while advocating with their care providers themselves. A doula can never promise that specific birth preferences will happen, nor can they ensure that birth will unfold a certain way. They work to prepare a woman, help her realize her natural birthing instincts and instill confidence. This way when unforeseen circumstances happen during labour she feels respected, informed and guided through the process.
A doula’s effects on labour and birth are astonishing. Women who hire a birth doula tend to have less interventions, are less likely to need Pitocin, less likely to have a cesarean birth, less likely to use pain medications, more likely to have a successful breastfeeding relationship and more likely to report a positive birth experience.
A doulas work with a birthing woman has effects that trickle beyond the labour and birth experience. For it is her emotional journey while birthing that she carries into her future. A birth doula offers a small amount of post-partum care; usually one – two prenatal visits. The purpose of these visits is to review and integrate the birth experience, assist with feeding if necessary, discuss expectations and adjustments, answer any questions, refer to resources and be there to help a woman transition into life with a new baby.
The significance of a birth doula is proven to be of great value. They are the keepers of the space surrounding a woman as she brings her baby into this world. Birth doulas have an irrevocable trust in a woman’s ability, the wisdom of her body and her birthing instincts. Their expertise are abundant and their support is unwavering.
Beautiful photo from: https://www.doulacircle.com/product-page/home-birth-doula-package