Happy World Doula Week!

Photograph by Ash Grove Images

As World Doula Week comes to a close, I've enjoyed the opportunity to reflect upon what it means to be a doula, for me and for the expecting moms and dads I work with. I love supporting moms and dads in one of the most amazing moments of their lives. I love breathing with them, talking to them, encouraging them, holding their hands/arms/legs, and reminding them of how amazing they are. This is what doulas do. But there are also a lot of other things doulas do or provide that are not always mentioned. So I wanted to share 7 of the less-mentioned, but super awesome, benefits doulas offer:

1. Knowledge. A doula is like a childbirth expert at your fingertips. She’s intimately aware of the process of birthing a baby. She’s spent many hours reading about birth, witnessing birth, or possibly even giving birth herself. She knows the mechanics and understands ways to support moms during the different phases. She shares this knowledge with her clients prenatally, during labor, and postpartum. If she doesn’t know the answer to something, she probably knows where to find it.
2. Hours of research. This goes hand-in-hand with knowledge. Through her hours of research, a doula learns a lot about birth and current practices and guidelines. Not only is this a good investment for doulas to spend their time researching and learning, but if they’re certified, it might also be a requirement for re-certification. What does that mean for you? You don’t have to do as much of the legwork to find answers to your questions.
3. Hours of conferences and workshops. Not only does your doula read a lot, but she also probably attends birth related conferences and workshops to help her be a better doula. Various conferences could include massage techniques, positioning techniques, aromatherapy, acupressure, breastfeeding counseling, rebozo use in pregnancy and labor, etc. She may even travel to attend these workshops.
4. Doula community. Facebook has made the ability for doulas across the nation and worldwide to connect and support each other. Doulas share current articles and guidelines and blog posts to help each other. And you know what else? Doulas also actively ask and answer each other’s questions. For example, want to know if your care provider truly is VBAC friendly? Your doula can give you a list of things to look for and ask about at your next appointment, and she can go to the local doula group and ask the other doulas for their experiences with that provider.  
5. On call time. Most doulas offer 24/7 on call access from 38 weeks until delivery. What that means is she carries her cell phone wherever she goes (even to yoga or date night at the movies), ready to answer the call for when you go into labor. She adjusts her schedule, declines to carpool to girls’ nights out, avoids consuming alcohol, and tries to go to sleep at a reasonable hour to be ready and rested for you. She makes plans to not be farther than an hour or so away and uses her doula community to find back-up doulas, just in case she can’t make it due to illness or another client’s labor.
6. Birthy BFF.  Hiring a doula means you have an immediate friend who cares about birth as much as you do, who delights in conversations about mucus plugs, contractions, and leaky boobs. Having a tough time with prodromal labor (long, slow early labor)? Your doula is there to help you through.
7. Resources. Remember that doula community I was telling you about? Doulas also have relationships with other birth workers, including lactation consultants, midwives, OBs, placenta encapsulators, massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, photographers, and the list goes on.  Needing to know who to go to for extra specialized care? Ask your doula. (And if she doesn’t know, she’ll know other doulas to ask!)

Doulas work hard for you. They care. I’m so proud to be a part of this profession. Happy World Doula Week to my fellow doulas and all those who have or will benefit from having a doula in their lives!

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