5 Reasons I Hired a Doula (and why you should too)
By: Morgan GregoryWhat is a doula?
A doula is a professional specifically trained in labor and childbirth support who is privately hired to work with families who are expecting a baby. Most doulas are self-employed, meaning that you are their number one priority. This differs from someone like a labor and delivery nurse, who has many other responsibilities, including your medical care, doctor relationships, hospital procedure recommendations, and other patients they may need to care for simultaneously. Doulas do not replace the obgyn, nurse, midwife, or any other medical team there to care for you at your birth. Doulas are there to physically and emotionally support you and your partner and be an advocate for your birth preferences in your labor and birth.
Why did I hire a doula?
#1 - I was a first-time mom.
As a first-time mom you truly have no idea how your body, mind, and spirit will respond to labor. I tried to plan and read as much as I could to help prepare my body and mind for labor, but in the end, you just never know how you’ll respond until you go through it. My plan was to have an epidural free labor, but as a first-time mom I also wanted to keep an open mind to options that would help my labor progress if my first plan goes sideways. I decided kind of late in my pregnancy that having a doula would be helpful because having a support person that has been through the experience and had a positive view of it was very important to me. I felt like I couldn’t ask my friends or coworkers about labor and birth without hearing the worst birth stories imaginable that would only hinder my experience as a first-time mother. A doula was my sounding board for questions, tips, and concerns without judgment or bias.
#2 - I was giving birth in a “high-volume” hospital.
The hospital I chose to give birth at has very high birth numbers, so I knew when going there that I was not going to have one-on-one support with the nurses or doctor there. I knew that most of the physical and emotional support would fall on my husband because the nurses couldn’t be in every room, every minute of your labor. Having a doula there was so nice because I could relax knowing that she was there to support me if I was having a hard time with my labor at any point. She was also able to advocate and ask the nurses for things whenever I needed anything, leaving my husband to support me, so I was never left alone in the room.
#3 - I wanted an expert in coping techniques so the pressure wasn’t solely on my husband.
While my husband is an absolute rockstar birth supporter, he can’t be the subject matter expert on everything when it comes to labor and birth. So, I wanted to make sure for our own relationship that he had a helpful support system that knew how to communicate with hospital staff effectively, was able to suggest position changes for specific reasons, or help with coping techniques. With a doula we had another set of hands to get water, take shifts with counter pressure, let my husband use the bathroom without abandoning me, and it truly took the pressure off of us as a couple and allowed us to both be fully present and joyful with each other during a process that could cause a lot of resentment and stress on a relationship.
#4 - I wanted an unbiased perspective.
As a doula, it is their job to be fully unbiased. You should never truly know your doula’s full views and personal opinions on birth unless you specifically ask for it. They are there for your wishes and needs for your very specific circumstances and plan. Knowing that they have your best interest and will have the time and capacity to talk you through every intervention and option offered to you gave me so much more peace knowing that I would be able to make fully informed, confident decisions in my birth without being swayed by biases or preferences from the hospital staff during my birth or prenatal planning.
#5 - I wanted a low intervention birth.
Through research, I found multiple sources supporting the use of a doula (including ACOG) in childbirth. Research found that doulas can decrease the need for assisted vaginal delivery and lower the likelihood of cesarean birth. Along with this, I knew that I needed an advocate during a very vulnerable time where you can often feel a power dynamic in a hospital as the patient. It can be easy to say yes to things in the hospital that were not in your original plan if they are offered to you by a doctor or nurse assisting you in your labor even if the intervention being offered may go against your preferences. A doula can help you make those important decisions in the moment with research-based information, so you know that the choices you make are truly what is best for you and your specific circumstances.
Overall, I wanted what every new mom wants: A satisfying birth experience. People who use birth doulas report having a more positive childbirth experience and are more able to take that positivity into postpartum which is arguably just as hard (if not harder). I personally was so grateful for everything my doula did to support my family in pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. It truly takes a village, and now, in our modern times, we sometimes need to create our own village by hiring a trusted team of people to help support you during one of the most transformational times in your life.
