Doulas & Birth Coaches

[macaronmama]

I am definitely, definitely interested in going this route for labor. I love the idea of extra support and someone knowledgeable by my side the entire time who can translate the doctor's information. Especially since this is the first go round for both me and DH - we aren't keen on having family in with us.

Have any of you had a doula or birthing coach for your previous pregnancies, or are considering it for this one? What questions did you ask when you are interviewing? I feel like I'm being WAY to early about this, but our city is so crowded and busy, I'm afraid if we don't find someone we like early enough, we risk finding that the better doula groups are all booked up for October.

[jcrewgirl]

Feb 10, 2016 13:38:18 GMT -5 @kitchen said:

I don't think it's unreasonably early to be looking.

To me it seems like the absolute most important thing is finding someone with whom you and your H are comfortable.

I briefly explored it with my first, but decided that I would probably prefer to be left alone and my husband didn't feel like he needed someone so we didn't bother.

+1

[lettricern]

We had a doula for our first child, and we will likely have one again. My husband really liked having her there, and so did I. My doula also knows my OB really well, so that helps a lot too. She also took AMAZING photos of our daughter's birth. Another perk was that she was able to fill in for DH support-wise so that he could get some rest.

[ellabee]

We had a doula for DD's birth. We did a phone/skype interview early on, then a home visit somewhere in the 30+ week range. She taught us some stretching exercises and showed us a belly sifting technique used to try and keep the baby in optimal position for avoiding back labor. I also texted with her often in the last few weeks before DD was born. She was where I went with odd questions I didn't feel were relevant enough for my OB appointments.

DH didn't think we needed a doula. I wanted one because I thought it would up my chances of helping me achieve the natural birth I was looking for. Because DD's birth was so quick (first contraction at 3:30pm, triaged at hospital at 7pm, DD born at 9pm) I don't think she was as helpful as I envisioned she'd be. Perhaps if my labor had been really long, it may have been helpful for an extra hand in addition to DH, but For this LO, I'm much more confident in myself and we won't be using one.

In terms of questions:
- How many births have they attended
- Training/certification
- How many visits pre/post birth
- How do they envision supporting the birth process (will they take initiative, or ask you/your H when to step in)
- Are they "on call", or do they work with other doulas if for any chance there is an emergency/conflict and they can't make it to your birth.
- How many other clients will they take around your EDD?
- Are they willing to come to your home during early labor, or just once you're admitted to the hospital. Is there a limit on how many hours they'll stay with you?
- How long will they stay post-partum?
- Do they have any experience with lactation support?
- Do they do placenta encapsulation (if you're looking for that)

That's all I can remember asking mine.

At the end of the day, find someone you click with. The very last thing you want is feeling like you can't be yourself around this person to convey what you need or want during labor.

[adouces06]

Feb 10, 2016 13:38:18 GMT -5 @kitchen said:

I don't think it's unreasonably early to be looking.

To me it seems like the absolute most important thing is finding someone with whom you and your H are comfortable.

I briefly explored it with my first, but decided that I would probably prefer to be left alone and my husband didn't feel like he needed someone so we didn't bother.

+1 it was actually super intimate to have it just be me and my husband. Made the moment even more special.

[WittyLittle]

We looked in to a Doula on my sister's advice but we decided we just wanted to treat the birth as a medical thing rather than an experience, to save us any shock or disappointment if things went another way. In the end, the whole process kind of passed me by to be honest. I had my eyes closed for most of it and just went in to my own world. I progressed very fast and arrived at the hospital too late for an epidural (9+ cm) and DS had pooped in his waters so the whole process became a bit more medical anyway. My MW was there to support us and that was fine. I think having a doula there would have been too many voices in the room for my liking. Instead I just almost broke my husband's hand by squeezing it But the thing is everyone is different. Every birth is different. I'd definitely interview some and the questions that ellabee, gave sound really good!

[macaronmama]

Thanks for the questions, ellabee. DH agreed to meeting with one group already someone in March when we're around 10 weeks. It's nice to have a couple questions ready to go. I think the open house is like an hour and a half, then they even do a brief discussion on birth plans after.

We'll see then if we're still into the idea.