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Published in Parent
Magazine, April 2007
The
birth of a baby is a
momentous event for a
family. How do parents,
especially new ones, cope
with the challenge?
For
thousands of years, women
bearing children have had
aid from other, experienced
women whom they trust: a
mother, a sister, a
friend….In recent times,
with more hospital births,
fragmented families,
transient communities, all
women have not had this
help. True, more fathers
are now involved in the
birthing process, yet they
can also feel under-prepared
and overwhelmed. Other
caregivers are often so
focused on the baby that the
mother can feel overlooked.
The more relaxed, calm, and
confident the mother is, the
easier the birth will be for
both mother and child. The
presence of a trained,
caring companion can make
all the difference in the
mother’s experience of the
birth, and relieve her
partner of feeling solely in
charge of her well-being.
The
newly emerging doula
profession is filling this
need for TLC to moms in
labor and postpartum.
“Doula” is a Greek word
meaning “woman servant”.
Labor doulas are trained
companions for childbirth.
How do they help? Ideally, a
doula will meet with a
couple more than once during
the pregnancy, and might
attend a childbirth class
with them to learn what
techniques they will use.
The doula will help the
couple make a detailed birth
plan, which may include
personal information she
wants the caregivers, to
know, freedom to move around
during labor, how the fetal
heart rate is to be
monitored, preferences for
care of and contact with the
baby immediately postpartum,
how the baby is to be fed,
and having her partner’s
continuous presence. The
doula will often be aware of
the protocols followed in
the facility the couple has
chosen, and be able to
advise the couple as to how
the birth plan will fit
within these guidelines. The
couple may need to talk to
their caregiver about any
adjustments needed to
coordinate their birth plan
with the practices of their
chosen facility. The doula
can be a source of general
information and reassurance
for the mother to be,
available by phone
throughout the pregnancy.
However, the doula gives no
medical information or
advice. She refers all such
questions to the mother’s
doctor or midwife.
Ideally, a labor doula will
meet with a couple more than
once during the pregnancy,
and might attend a
childbirth class with them
to see what methods they
will use. The doula will
help the couple to make a
birth plan. Among other
details, this could include
personal information she
wants the caregivers to
know, options for labor
(e.g. she is free to move
around, change positions,
eat and drink as needed, how
the fetal heart rate is
monitored), immediate
postpartum care of and
contact with the baby, how
the baby is to be fed, etc.
The doula will often be
aware of the protocols at
the facility the couple have
chosen, and be able to
advise the couple as to how
the birth plan will fit with
these. They will need to
talk to their doctor or mid
wife about their birth plan
and what adjustments might
be needed.
The
doula will be available by
phone during prelabor (or
“false labor) and early
labor. The mom calls in the
doula at whatever point
they have agreed on during
her pregnancy. The doula
comes well-stocked with her
knowledge and her “bag of
tricks”. She is familiar
with comfort measures such
as massage, breathing,
relaxation and visualization
techniques, positions that
increase the ease and
efficiency of labor, hot and
cold packs, soothing and
refreshing aromatherapy
blends, and most of all, her
continuous, nurturing
presence and encouragement.
The doula remains with the
mother for at least two
hours postpartum, and helps
with the start of
breastfeeding, if the mother
chooses this way of feeding.
There is a follow-up visit
within two weeks postpartum
as the mother, couple, or
family reviews this
experience that has changed
their lives. Trained baby
nurses can help specifically
with the baby’s needs at
this time. Some doulas ,
known as postpartum doulas,
take a separate training and
specialize in meeting the
mom’s needs in the immediate
postpartum period. Either of
these can be a wonderful
help to a tired and
bewildered family,
especially in this age of
numerous C-sections, when
the mom is recovering from
major surgery. The increased
number of multiple births
are putting added pressure
on some families, who would
also, no doubt appreciate an
extra pair of loving hands.
What
are the benefits of doula
care? Research has shown
that mothers using a doula
tend to have fewer Caesarean
sections, less medication,
shorter labors, shorter
hospital stays, fewer
incidences of maternal fever
(which means prophylactic
antibiotic treatment for the
infant), are more likely to
breastfeed and for longer.
Babies tend to be healthier
postpartum, with fewer
incidences of vomiting,
coughs, colds, or runny
nose, poor appetite, or
diarrhea. Doula-supported
moms often have less
depression and more
confidence postpartum, and
feel closer to and happier
with their baby, which
promotes long-term
mother-child bonding.
Where
to find a doula? Beach
Baby’s Services, Inc. is a
new company that will
shortly offer the services
of trained doulas and
other services.. Our area of
service is Horry,
Georgetown, and Marion
counties.
Pat
Burrell and Mitra
Homayounian, the owners,
have impressive credentials
in the conventional and
holistic healthcare fields.
Pat is a Registered Nurse
with over twenty years of
Maternal-Child Health
experience, the founder of
Wholistic Childbirth
Education, and is a
Certified Lactation
Consultant , among other
credentials. Mitra
Homayounian is a Licensed
Yoga Instructor and Licensed
Massage Therapist, trained
in Pregnancy and Infant
Massage and Yoga for
Pregnancy. She also trained
with Deepak Chopra in
Ayurvedic Therapy. They are
both trained doulas. Here is
what Pat has to say about
this great new company:
“We at
Beach Baby's Services Inc.
are excited to be the first
group of women in this area
to provide this wonderful
service to the women, babies
and families along the Grand
Strand and surrounding
areas. We offer the combined
knowledge and experience of
a dedicated group of women
to serve you. We have the
combined years of over a
century of experience of
women helping other women in
birth and caring for babies
and families. All of our
doulas are DONA (Doulas of
North America) trained. At
present our services include
Labor Doula care, Baby
Nurses, Wholistic Childbirth
Education and Breastfeeding
Counseling. The doulas who
are a part of the Beach
Baby's family vary in
backgrounds and bring
cultural diversity to you.
This adds an incredible
world of knowledge to the
birth experience for all. We
feel we represent all women
and we are devoted to the
service of [the] One in
All.”
With a
mission to improve
maternal-child health in
Horry,
Georgetown, and Marion
Counties. Doula services are
priced on a sliding scale.
This is to allow many
families to afford these
services. It is our goal to
"provide A doula to every
woman who wants one" as part
of our DONA creed. Grants
will be pursued for the
training of low-income women
to enable them to earn a
living in this field. Beach
Baby's invites other doulas
in the area to join their
team. Contact them at (843)
272-8673 or
www.beachbabys.org.
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