BIRTHING WITH THE SUPPORT OF A DOULA

Georgie not only surpassed any expectation we had, but was supportive, nurturing and strong in so many other ways that we could have never envisioned before the birthing experience.

Birthing your baby can and should be an enjoyable and empowering experience. The more confident, relaxed and conscious a woman is during birth, the more comfortable, enjoyable and fearless her labour, birth and journey into motherhood will be. A doula can help you achieve this.

What is a doula?

A doula is a birth companion. We offer emotional and practical support to you and your partner, during your pregnancy, throughout your entire labour, and/or afterwards as you settle into motherhood. A doula does not advise, but does ensure that you have all the information you need to make informed choices about your pregnancy and birth. This information is objective and much of it is not shared with you by the NHS.

A doula is the only birth professional who stays with you throughout your entire labour, quietly present to ensure that you have everything you need for your body to work as nature designed it. Her continuous presence also enables your birth partner to take a rest or time out to eat or de-stress.

A doula understands the physiology of birth and what a woman needs to birth her baby in the most comfortable, safe and natural way possible. With our experience and knowledge we ease you through labour with practical ideas such as how to position your body, breathing techniques, birthing visualisations and much more.

A doula supports the birth partner. Even if you are feeling fearless and relaxed, your birth partner is not always feeling the same way. It can be hard to see your loved one go through something as monumental as childbirth.

It’s impossible really to convey in words just what an integral part Georgie played – if I was to have done the full 28 hours myself I probably would have collapsed! But with Georgie there to share  holding Annabelle’s hands, wiping sweat from her face, giving water, helping with her visualisations, reassuring, hugging, holding and supporting, I was able to last the whole time.

The doula is often the point of contact with the midwife or hospital staff so that the birthing mother or couple remain undisturbed. Most hospital staff and community midwives appreciate the presence of a doula as a part of the team of people trying to give you best birth possible.

Not only was she our shield and spokesperson, but she was totally there for Annabelle during the whole amazing experience – reassuring when necessary, stepping back when appropriate – strong, present and loving through the intensity of it all.

A doula can also provide post-natal support, including breastfeeding support, cooking you a meal, taking your other children to school or tidying up your house. Post-natally, a doula’s job is to make it easier for you to mother your baby. To give you some rest, praise and confidence boosting and to advise you on local baby groups, parent support groups etc.  A doula can also educate you in a whole range of parenting matters from breastfeeding to sleep issues to weaning onto solids and beyond.

Will a doula really make a difference to my birth?

Yes! There are many studies, sited below, that show that continuously supported labour leads to a less complicated and more positive birth. These studies show that women who received continuous support were less likely than women who did not to:

  • have regional analgesia
  • have any analgesia/anesthesia
  • give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
  • give birth by cesarean
  • have a baby with a low 5-minute Apgar score (this is the after birth test to look at your baby’s overall condition by observing Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration.)
  • report dissatisfaction or a negative rating of their experience.
  • suffer from post natal depression
  • have breastfeeding complications

Women receiving continuous support were more likely than those who did not to:

  • give birth spontaneously (that is, with neither cesarean nor vacuum extraction nor forceps)
  • have a shorter labour
  • bond and relate easily and instantly to their baby
  • more likely to have immediate skin to skin contact (this encourages a spontaneous birthing of the placenta, successful breastfeeding and bonding)

“Continuous Support For Women During Childbirth,” Hodnett ED et al, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007.

“Continuous Labour Support” – Lamaze International Position Paper, 2004

“Social Support By Doulas During Labor & The Early Post Partum Period” – Meyer et al., 2001

How is this all possible?

For you to give birth gently and comfortably, consciously and lovingly, you need to have love, comfort and gentleness around you. For your uterus to relax and work effectively to ease your baby on its way down the birth canal, you need quiet calm, dim lighting, reassuring words, gentle touch and most of all, to feel utterly safe and able to let go. It all comes down to hormones.

Consciously breathing and visualising your baby will encourage an abundant flow of Oxytocin, the hormone that enables your uterus to contract. In the presence of stress or fear, the more dominant hormone, Adrelanin, will inhibit the production of Oxytocin and not only slow down labour, but potentially bring things to an absolute halt.

In hospitals where the lights are often bright and doctors and nurses are talking or asking questions you need someone in the room who is solely there for you. Someone to keep you focused on your breath, to help you stay calm and fearless. It is that simple!

Georgie allowed us to share the intimacy and intensity of Annabelle’s labour with a minimum of interruption from the medical staff. I can’t emphasise enough just how important this turned out to be in creating a true birthing process for Annabelle to experience this ‘rite of passage’ into motherhood.

So will a doula take away the pain?

A doula is the best pain relief! It is a myth that labour has to hurt. In today’s world we tend to think that drugs are the answer to a pain-free birth. The reality is that drugs in labour tend to lead to more painful interventions, and possibly surgery and on-going discomfort, whereas supported drug free labour can often feel painless, relaxing and even ecstatic.

A drug free birth is not only more likely if you are supported by a doula, it will also have positive impact on many aspects of your child’s development after birth. Breastfeeding and bonding are more spontaneous and uncomplicated for babies who are born alert and un-drugged. Babies who are born gently and lovingly are more likely to be relaxed and peaceful from birth onward.

Complications or trauma in birth can stay with the mother and baby emotionally for long after the birth. Colic is also more likely in babies who have had a traumatic birth. And in the event of your birth not being as you natural as you had hoped, your relaxed and positive state of mind will lessen any potential negative consequences, both for you and your baby.

Our decision to have Georgie present during the birth was suddenly all the more important as Annabelle was hooked up to a drip to induce her and we embarked on a 28 hour labour in the delivery suite. We hadn’t really planned for this and having Georgie there as a stabilising influence was very reassuring for me as a stream of midwives, consultants, an anaesthetist (!) and registrars all came trooping in over this time.

The word doula is the Greek term for servant. It was first used to describe a woman supporting a birthing mother in the 1970s. I consider my role as a doula as just this: to serve. I aim to create and hold a loving space to preserve the sanctity of your most intimate and wonderful of life’s journeys. It is an honour to be a part of your journey and to make it as relaxed and positive and comfortable as possible, for you and for your birthing partner.

We have no hesitation in recommending Georgie as a doula – if you’d like to know more about just how amazing she was to have on our little team, please ask her for our number and we’ll happily speak with you and answer any questions you may have.

If you are interested in hiring me as your doula or talking it through some more please don’t hesitate to email me at georgie@healingspirits.co.uk and I will send you more information including what I offer and what I charge. Or simply call me for a chat anytime on 07807 550 653 or 01544 231 304.

Thank you!