Precious Heartbeats Doula

THE VALUE OF A DOULA! Yesterday in a moms group I’m apart of I saw a comment from a mom that said I looked into hiring a doula but their fee was $xxx and she... didn’t seem to offer much. I’ll admit this comment was a little disheartening to me. However, it made me realize that the general public and even sometimes the families that hire us do not understand the true value behind the care we provide. You see, there’s so much more that goes into the work a doula provides than holding a hand and giving encouragement to the birthing mom (although those things hold great value in themselves). Those that choose the career path of being a doula dedicate their life to this work. They pour hours upon hours into educating themselves on all things birth and babies. We have a deep knowledge of the birth process. And for most we never stop educating ourselves. It is a continuous learning process so that we can provide our clients with the most up to date research and information. Prior to a mom giving birth a doula will spend anywhere from 3-6 hours with her client and the family doing light childbirth education, talking about her birth desires, processing through any fears she has, teaching coping techniques, giving nutritional advice, talking about ways to prepare her body physically and mentally for birth, etc. We are also available 24/7 to our clients via our phone. I myself have spent hours on the phone with clients in addition to our prenatals just working through concerns and other emotional issues. As a doula we go on-call 2 weeks prior to a women’s due date and remain on call until her baby is born. However, if we have more than one client on our schedule for the month (which most doulas do) this puts us on a never ending on-call status. I’m not sure most understand all this entails. Being on-call for a doula means that we must ALWAYS have our phones on us. When we have a client in the window of her due date we hesitate going far from home, we must have on-call childcare because we must be able to leave with a moments notice. This may also mean that we miss our kids birthday party, Thanksgiving, Christmas morning with our kids, or other important events. I’ve left my kids sobbing at the door begging me not to leave. I may be at a birth 4 hours or I may be at a birth for 45 hours. I’ve held a woman’s body weight while they squat or given continuous counter pressure for hours on end. I’ve held women as they cry and as they rejoice. I’ve coached them through some of the hardest decisions in their life. This lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. The women who choose to become a doula have such a deep passion for birth, women and babies. The sacrifice we make to be ever present for our clients doesn’t come without consequence. There’s a reason the divorce rate amongst birth workers is so high. We pour so much of ourselves into our work. And you must understand that when things don’t go as planned at a birth we don’t just go home and move on with life. Those difficult births can take a huge emotional toll on us. Also, our relationship with our doula clients doesn’t end after they have their baby. We then offer postpartum support. Most doulas visit with their client at least once after the birth and provide continuous phone support for breastfeeding issues, emotional support, etc. So the next time you think to yourself that doulas fee seems a little high or is a doula worth the money I can assure you that a doulas fee is well worth all the support that comes with it and the sacrifice that doula makes for your birth. Doula Statistics Numerous studies have shown that the presence of a doula during labor and birth results in: * 31% decrease in the use of Pitocin * 28% decrease in the risk of C-section * 12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth * 9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief * 14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery * 34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience Parents who receive continuous support such as that of a doula tend to: * Feel more secure and cared for * Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics * Have greater success with breastfeeding * Have greater self-confidence * Have less postpartum depression * Have lower incidence of abuse

THE VALUE OF A DOULA! Yesterday in a moms group I’m apart of I saw a comment from a mom that said I looked into hiring a doula but their fee was $xxx and she... didn’t seem to offer much. I’ll admit this comment was a little disheartening to me. However, it made me realize that the general public and even sometimes the families that hire us do not understand the true value behind the care we provide. You see, there’s so much more that goes into the work a doula provides than holding a hand and giving encouragement to the birthing mom (although those things hold great value in themselves). Those that choose the career path of being a doula dedicate their life to this work. They pour hours upon hours into educating themselves on all things birth and babies. We have a deep knowledge of the birth process. And for most we never stop educating ourselves. It is a continuous learning process so that we can provide our clients with the most up to date research and information. Prior to a mom giving birth a doula will spend anywhere from 3-6 hours with her client and the family doing light childbirth education, talking about her birth desires, processing through any fears she has, teaching coping techniques, giving nutritional advice, talking about ways to prepare her body physically and mentally for birth, etc. We are also available 24/7 to our clients via our phone. I myself have spent hours on the phone with clients in addition to our prenatals just working through concerns and other emotional issues. As a doula we go on-call 2 weeks prior to a women’s due date and remain on call until her baby is born. However, if we have more than one client on our schedule for the month (which most doulas do) this puts us on a never ending on-call status. I’m not sure most understand all this entails. Being on-call for a doula means that we must ALWAYS have our phones on us. When we have a client in the window of her due date we hesitate going far from home, we must have on-call childcare because we must be able to leave with a moments notice. This may also mean that we miss our kids birthday party, Thanksgiving, Christmas morning with our kids, or other important events. I’ve left my kids sobbing at the door begging me not to leave. I may be at a birth 4 hours or I may be at a birth for 45 hours. I’ve held a woman’s body weight while they squat or given continuous counter pressure for hours on end. I’ve held women as they cry and as they rejoice. I’ve coached them through some of the hardest decisions in their life. This lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. The women who choose to become a doula have such a deep passion for birth, women and babies. The sacrifice we make to be ever present for our clients doesn’t come without consequence. There’s a reason the divorce rate amongst birth workers is so high. We pour so much of ourselves into our work. And you must understand that when things don’t go as planned at a birth we don’t just go home and move on with life. Those difficult births can take a huge emotional toll on us. Also, our relationship with our doula clients doesn’t end after they have their baby. We then offer postpartum support. Most doulas visit with their client at least once after the birth and provide continuous phone support for breastfeeding issues, emotional support, etc. So the next time you think to yourself that doulas fee seems a little high or is a doula worth the money I can assure you that a doulas fee is well worth all the support that comes with it and the sacrifice that doula makes for your birth. Doula Statistics Numerous studies have shown that the presence of a doula during labor and birth results in: * 31% decrease in the use of Pitocin * 28% decrease in the risk of C-section * 12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth * 9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief * 14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery * 34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience Parents who receive continuous support such as that of a doula tend to: * Feel more secure and cared for * Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics * Have greater success with breastfeeding * Have greater self-confidence * Have less postpartum depression * Have lower incidence of abuse

Home birth rocks!

What a great resource