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Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most common questions we are asked. If
your question isn't answered here, please feel free to
Contact Us.
How can a doula help me?
What can I expect from my doula?
What is
the difference between a nurse or midwife and a doula?
Do I need a doula if I have a
midwife?
Will we feel
comfortable having a stranger at our birth?
What doesn’t a doula do?
Isn’t my partner my doula?
How does a doula help my partner?
Do doulas help single moms?
Do I need a
doula if I'm planning to have an epidural?
What if I
have a cesarean birth? Do I still need a doula?
Can a doula help me avoid
a repeat cesarean?
If I
don’t have a doula, what do I need from my support people?
What
other services does Birth Roots offer?
What is the Postpartum Doula Service?
How can I hire a doula?
At what
point in my pregnancy should I contact a doula?
How can a doula help me?
One of your doula's first goals is getting to
know the mother and her partner and building a trusting and warm relationship so
that by the time your baby is ready to be born you will know and trust all of
your support people. Your doula helps you to determine your goals for your
birth, and works to help you meet those goals.
She often helps to clarify information discussed
with the doctor or midwife and suggests topics for future discussion with your
caregiver.
Once your labour begins, she will stay with
you throughout your whole labour and delivery, using non-medical pain relief
techniques, and providing emotional support. Your doula helps ensure your
partner is involved in the birth. She is also trained in the physiology of
labour, helps explain medical terms and procedures, and keeps everyone calm.
After the baby is born, she will help with the
initial breastfeeding, and in processing the birth experience. She is also
available to answer questions, make suggestions or just lend a friendly ear over
the phone before and after the birth.
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What can I expect from my doula?
Your doula will meet with you about four times before the
birth to answer questions, help with a birth plan, provide resources and develop
a relationship with you and your partner.
Once you go into labour, she will be available by phone until
you are ready for her to assist you, either at home or in the hospital. She will
stay with you throughout your whole labour and delivery, providing comfort,
information and support, and taking photographs, if you wish. She will stay for
about an hour after the birth, helping with the initial breastfeeding.
Your doula will visit you at least two times after the birth
to process the birth experience, answer questions, provide resources, and just
to talk. Your doula will also provide a birth story for you as a memento of your
birth.
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What is
the difference between a nurse or midwife and a doula?
A nurse or midwife is trained to do medical procedures and
evaluate the well-being of both mother and child, whereas your doula’s priority
is your emotional support and physical comfort.
As shifts change, you may see many different nurses
throughout your labour, whereas your doula stays with you continuously. Also,
your doula focuses only on you, but a nurse or midwife has other moms to look
after at once.
Whatever caregivers you choose, doulas works cooperatively
with your entire healthcare team.
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Do I need
a doula if I have a midwife?
Absolutely! Although there is some cross-over between
the roles of doulas and midwives, there are many important distinctions.
Primarily, the midwife's responsibility peaks at the time of the birth, which is
when she must be at her most alert to perform her job effectively. This
means that she must conserve her energy
throughout your labour to perform her job as best as she can. This does
not mean that midwives do not provide labour support--they do--just that they
have many other responsibilities that must take precedence.
In contrast, a doula's responsibility peaks during active
labour and transition, when you need the most help coping with your
contractions. By the time the birth rolls around, the doula has already
accomplished most of her work--she has helped you through your labour to the
point of delivery. As a result, a doula can afford to spend most of her
energy in the labour stage.
As the midwives are busy setting up for the birth, taking
fetal heart tones, charting,
and many other important tasks related to monitoring the health of mom
and baby, you doula is there with you, coaching you through each contraction,
heating up your hot water bottle, adding fresh water to your labour tub, and
fetching a glass of juice for you, and a mug of tea for your partner.
Doulas are also very helpful at homebirths, where an extra
pair of hands to help with the clean-up, or whip up a postpartum meal can come
in very handy.
Ideally, doulas and midwives work hand-in-hand at every
birth.
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Will we feel
comfortable having a stranger at our birth?
Well, a doula is not really a stranger, she is someone that has built a warm
and trusting relationship with you and your partner prior to labour. She
will be familiar with you, your preferences, your fears and your concerns, and
you will have a good sense of her as a caregiver and as a person. As well,
if you are birthing in a hospital, you probably won't have met your nurses and
delivery doctor doctor beforehand, so your doula provides the continuity of care
for your birth.
Your doula is a supporter of the team (you and your partner), and
encourages and expects that your labour and birth will be a loving experience
between the mother and her partner. To get a sense of our philosophy, you
can read our Values Statement.
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What doesn’t a doula do?
Doulas do not perform medical tasks such as vaginal exams or
fetal heart checks. Doulas do not speak to the medical staff on your behalf.
Doulas do not make decisions for you.
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Isn’t my partner my doula?
No. Your doula has training and experience above and beyond
what your spouse may learn from a prenatal class. No matter how much experience
your spouse has with childbirth, the birth experience can be stressful and
confusing, and the presence of a doula frees your partner from the heavy
responsibility of being your only support person. Your partner is now free to be
loving, supportive, responsive and emotionally involved in the thrill of the
birth of your child. Your doula in no way replaces the presence of your partner;
she enhances it.
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How does a doula help my
partner?
Your doula is there to support both you and your partner.
From simply letting your spouse take a break to reassuring your partner that
what is happening is normal, your doula takes a lot of pressure off of birth
partners, who may sometimes feel overwhelmed. Partners may also feel unsure
about what to do. A doula will make suggestions, helping your partner help you.
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Do doulas help single moms?
Yes! Birthing alone can be scary and confusing
because it can be very difficult to focus on bringing your baby into the world
while still trying to communicate with your caregivers .
While your doula never makes decisions for you, she can be a great help with
explaining what is happening.
We believe that every woman should have at least two support
people at her birth, and will work with any friend or family member you invite.
Alternatively, we encourage single moms to use two doulas for the birth at no
extra charge.
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Do I need a
doula if I'm planning to have an
epidural?
A doula's goal is to help you have the best birth experience possible,
however you define it. If using drugs is important to you, your doula will
educate you about all of your options and help you make an informed choice about
what's best for you and your baby. She will help you avoid further
intervention, support you and your partner in the early stages of labour before
the epidural can be started, and later through the pushing stage.
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What if
I have a cesarean birth? Do I still need a doula?
If you have planned a cesarean birth, a doula is a great help. Your doula
will help you be as informed as possible about the surgery and the post-partum
recovery.
If your caregiver suggests a cesarean
at some point during labor, your doula will guide you in asking questions that
will help you gather necessary information about the reasons your caregiver
recommends a cesarean, the risks and benefits relative to your particular
situation, and any alternatives you may have. In this case, you will
likely make an informed decision and will therefore be more satisfied with a
surgical outcome.
She will also help to reinforce that even though a cesarean may not have been
your goal, you are still giving birth. She will celebrate with you,
facilitate closeness between the new family, and photograph the baby's first
moments.
Other ways in which a doula might help with a cesarean section, planned or
unplanned, include:
- Assisting in relaxation during the administration of the spinal or
epidural;
- Video taping or photographing the birth;
- Facilitating closeness between the new family;
- Staying with mom while the surgery is finished when baby and mom's partner
go off to the nursery;
- Relaying information to mom about the baby;
- Helping mom with the initial breastfeeding;
- Sharing information about recovery.
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Can a doula help me
avoid a repeat cesarean?
Absolutely! Doulas are especially important if you are planning a VBAC
(Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) because she helps you avoid the interventions
that increase your likelihood of having another cesarean birth. See our
Recommended Reading for more VBAC resources.
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If I
don’t have a doula, what do I need from my support people?
Your support people need a basic knowledge of physical
comfort techniques, and the ability to remember them under pressure. Also, you
need to be able to get a hold of your support people at any time, because labour
can start unexpectedly. Your support people must be able to drop everything,
leave work in the middle of a shift, get up in the middle of the night, and find
childcare on a moment’s notice. Your support people must be willing to commit to
be with you though your whole labour, which in some cases can be days. These are
all standard aspects of doula care.
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What other
services does Birth Roots Doula Collective Inc. offer?
Birth Roots Doula Collective Inc. is also available to photograph
or videotape your birth, and offer belly casting. We also offer a
Post Partum Doula Service and
Birthing Classes.
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How can I hire a doula?
Call us at (204) 792-6769, or email us at
info@birthrootsdoulas.com. We service Winnipeg
and surrounding communities in Manitoba. If you're not sure if you are too
far out of the city, just give us a call and we'll see what we can do.
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At what point
in my pregnancy should I contact a doula?
The earlier the better! Although the number of visits
you have with your doula will be the same whether you contact her at 12 weeks or
at 35 weeks, the difference is that you'll have someone you know that you can
call on with those "Is this normal?" or "What does this mean?" sort of phone
calls throughout your pregnancy. As well, the longer you have known your
doula, the more of a relationship you will build.
Furthermore, we tend to book up very quickly, so it is a good
idea to contact us soon, so that we can be sure to have a doula available.
That being said, don't assume you're too far along.
Give us a call, and we'll figure it out.
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