The Unexpected Role of the Doula

Hi there! Carolyn, here. I’ve been fascinated with birth work for quite some time now and recently had the opportunity to further my exploration into this world by completing my doula training. After completing the three day training, I felt so grateful to be a part of this amazing community of people helping birthing people. I also felt empowered from all the amazing knowledge I learned and inspired to share this information with others. Here are some of the amazing and unexpected ways doulas can help birthing people.

What is a Doula?

A doula, as defined by DONA International (the world’s leading doula certifying organization), is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a birthing person before, during and shortly after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.

Thanks to research showing the proven benefits of using a doula, more and more people are learning about this profession and doulas are becoming more popular in birth settings. When most people think of a doula, they think of someone helping alleviate pain during labor using massage or applying hip pressure. Or perhaps someone offering nurturing words of encouragement to provide comfort to the birthing person. Or even someone who can help the birthing person understand all of their options before making an informed decision regarding their care during pregnancy and childbirth.

Yes, those are all things doulas do, but there are many more, unexpected ways doulas can help someone through the process of giving birth. The first of which is to honor the birthing person’s birth experience. 

Protect the Birthing Person’s Memory of the Birth Experience

Giving birth is deeply personal. No two births are the same. The way you approach your birth is unique to you and the feelings you have around that approach and the experience as a whole are important and valid. A doula can listen to these feelings and offer validation. In addition, a doula may be able to offer resources to help with feelings of uncertainty, anxiety or fear.  

A study that analyzed the long-term impact of the birth experience showed that birthing people with the highest long-term satisfaction of their birthing experience thought that they accomplished something important, that they were in control, and that the birth experience contributed to their self-confidence and self-esteem. (P. Simkin) The bottom line is that a birthing person’s feelings are important, and a doula can help facilitate a satisfactory birth experience that the birthing person can look back on positively for the rest of their life.

Be There for the Partner

While the birthing person is always the main focus of the doula, there will oftentimes be another support person present whether that is a partner, family member or friend. If this is a first-time birth, the additional support person may be new to the process as well. Doulas can offer reassurance to that person when labor is progressing, provide tips on different ways to comfort the birthing person, and give them time to rest when labor is longer.

My husband, Chris, shared his thoughts on having a doula attend our birth, “I thought we were well prepared but when my wife was in labor it was hard to have all the answers. I was grateful for our doula’s guidance and support so I could give my wife what she needed.” If a partner is present for the birth, a doula will support both them and the birthing person so everyone is working together towards the end goal of a healthy and satisfactory birth outcome.

Provide Support during the Postpartum Period

Childbirth is an incredibly profound experience. It can happen very rapidly or take more time than anticipated, require medical interventions or none, and oftentimes be unexpected to the birthing person in a variety of ways. Most birth doulas visit the birthing person for a postpartum follow up visit, which is a wonderful time for the birthing person to recall what happened, how it felt and be reminded of what a badass they are!

There are also postpartum doulas (sometimes a person can be both a birth and postpartum doula) who will spend more time with the birthing person in the first six weeks postpartum (often called the fourth trimester). This time can be very overwhelming for new parents, and postpartum doulas can be helpful in many ways. Along with assisting in general questions surrounding infant care or breastfeeding, a postpartum doula may help parents figure out meal planning and sleeping around baby’s schedule as well as ease the transition into parenthood. Finally, a postpartum doula may help the birthing person spend more time recalling the birth experience and their feelings surrounding that. 

How to Find a Doula

Are you ready to hire a doula? Fantastic! Doulamatch.net is a great place to find doulas in your area. You can also ask your healthcare provider or friends for recommendations, as well as looking on local moms groups’ FaceBook pages.

Research shows that birthing people who use a doula are less likely to need Pitocin, less likely to have a cesarean birth, less likely to use any pain medication and more likely to rate their childbirth experience positively. (DONA) Not only is there evidence proving the benefits of using a doula, but the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) officially recommends using a doula to improve birth outcomes. Yay for better births!

If you have any further questions regarding what a doula does or how they can help, please leave a comment below or send us an email. We’d love to hear from you.