The Purpose and Value of Labor Support

Think of a birth doula as an experienced guide who has already gone through the journey that is birth. Helping to navigate with support. Birth doulas provide physical, emotional, and informational support for both mothers in labor, their partners, and other family members who are present. Helping the entire family adjust to their new lives. Following are some of the benefits of hiring a birth doula in Atlanta Georgia.

The goal of a doula is to make sure that mothers experience a positive and safe birth. No matter the setting, a doula is there as a constant person. Even if the midwife must step out, the environment changes, or nurses come and go. Someone who remains focused solely on mom and those friends and family members around her, not on the baby and not on charts.

She is trained in providing comfort measures for pain relief such as message, movement, breathing, relaxation, visualization, and much more. A doula does not take place of mom’s partner. Yet helps support the partner so that they can love and support the laboring woman. She will be able to help you understand medical interventions or advice from the medical team. However she will not make decisions for you, speak for you, or provide clinical or medical procedures.

The Benefits of Hiring a birth doula in Kansas City

Doulas are not able to perform any medical procedures, give any medical advice, or assist in any deliveries of babies. They have a responsibility to know and work within their scope of practice and abide by the code of ethics for birth doulas. She cannot assess fetal or maternal well-being or provide cervical checks. She also cannot tell you what you should or should not do in terms of medical advice. They cannot drive anyone to the hospital, babysit the children at home, or run errands. Referrals can be made by the doula for services outside of scope of practice.

Hiring a birth doula present during labor has many benefits. One of them being that many parents feel that the guidance and support they receive from a doula gives them relief from having to “know it all”. Studies have shown that having a birth doula provides continuous support of a laboring mom will decrease cesarean section probability. Women report having a more positive birthing experience, are less likely to need Pitocin to start or speed up labor. They see reduction of these pain medications of any kind, report being made more relaxed and calmer during birth, experience shorter labors, and are less likely to have forceps or vacuum assistance for delivery.

What do doulas do?

Most doulas visit with both mom and partner before labor to go over wishes and goals to gain a little background knowledge to better support mom and partner during labor. This information also helps doulas during labor to better understand what is needed and how to provide support, as birth is rarely textbook and doesn’t follow a plan. Every birth is different and unique.

She will arrive sometime during stages of active labor, or until mom is ready for her to come. She will stay throughout the entirety of labor and roughly two hours postpartum to help with breastfeeding and bonding. Many doulas also arrange a postpartum visit to help mom talk through or fill any missing pieces of what happened during labor.

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