Curious about how a doula can support you through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum? Doulas are trained professionals who provide emotional, physical, and informational support during the perinatal period, helping you feel confident and empowered throughout your journey. Here’s a closer look at what doula support entails:
Getting You Prepared
Prenatal visits with a doula are all about preparation. During these meetings:
Exploring Your Preferences: I’ll learn about your hopes for labor and postpartum and help you create a personalized plan.
Advocating for Your Needs: I’ll guide you on how to effectively communicate your preferences with your provider. For example, if you’d like to use water for pain relief during labor, we’ll craft questions to ensure this option is realistic and supported, such as:
- “I'd like continuous monitoring but want to move around. What are my options?”
- “Under what circumstances would I not be able to use the shower during labor?”
Childbirth Education: I’ll provide tailored information about the stages of labor, interventions, and coping techniques based on your birth plan.
Hands-On Practice: During our second meeting, we’ll review labor positions, comfort measures, and strategies to help you feel prepared for each stage of labor.
Continuous In-Person Labor Support
Once you’re in active labor or at your birth location, I provide continuous support to ensure you feel empowered and cared for. My role includes:
Comfort Measures: Techniques like massage, counter-pressure, and mindfulness practices.
Labor Progression: Encouraging movement and suggesting positions to promote progress.
Emotional Support: Providing affirmations, prayer (if desired), and creating a positive environment.
Partner Involvement: Offering guidance to your partner so they can support you effectively.
Informed Decision-Making: Helping you navigate choices with confidence by providing clear, evidence-based information.
Rapport with Staff: Establishing a collaborative relationship with your medical team to support your preferences.
The Fourth Trimester
Postpartum support is a vital part of a doula’s care. During this period, I help with:
Infant Feeding: Offering guidance on breastfeeding and bottle-feeding
Referrals: Connecting you with lactation consultants, mental health professionals, or other specialists as needed.
Healing and Recovery: Providing tips for physical and emotional healing after birth.
Routine Development: Assisting in establishing rhythms for sleep, feeding, and self-care.
Troubleshooting Challenges: Helping you navigate common postpartum hurdles with confidence. I’ll also check in regularly to ensure your transition into parenthood is going smoothly, providing reassurance and encouragement along the way.
Client’s Perspective
Here’s what one client shared about their experience with doula support:
"This being our first child, I wanted to look into having a doula present at the birth from the start. The idea of someone being there to advocate for my needs, and to enable my husband to focus solely on my comfort during labor, was huge for us. Edoukou went above and beyond before the birth of our child to educate and empower us both—she provided us with exercises to enact during each stage of labor, what to be on the lookout for during early labor, and made it clear that should we need her postpartum, she would be there to provide whatever level of support we needed.
During my early labor, it was so reassuring for my husband to check in with her. Once we were at the hospital and I was in the throes of contractions, Edoukou made me feel comfortable, helped me focus on my breathing, and helped me switch positions during the hours-long process. She was just hands-on enough and communicated with us every step of the way.
I truly believe that, had she not been there, I would've needed additional medical interventions to move along the birth, and my healing and recovery would have been a longer process. Postpartum, Edoukou checked in with us to make sure all was well and to provide encouragement. Her kindness, resourcefulness, and support made her such an integral part of our village to bring our child into this world, and we will always be grateful to her!"
Ready to Learn More?
Doulas are here to support, empower, and guide you every step of the way. If you’re curious about how a doula can enhance your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience, let’s connect!
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