Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't see your question below, please don't hesitate to reach out and ask me directly.
What is a doula?
A doula is a trained professional that provides emotional, physical, and informational support to an expectant mother or family for a period of time before, during, and after the birth.
Is a doula the same thing as a midwife?
No. A midwife is a trained professional who is qualified to medically oversee the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period of an expectant mother. A doula is a trained professional that provides emotional, physical, and informational support to an expectant mother or family for a period of time before, during, and after the birth
Are doulas only for women who wish to have an unmedicated vaginal delivery?
Doulas are trained to support all types of birth without bias. A doula's primary goal is to help the birthing woman attain a satisfying and positive birth experience. Some ways a doula may assist their clients are: remaining present with a client during a particularly long induction process so their partner can eat or rest, maintaining their client's requested atmosphere during a Cesarean birth, or helping an otherwise unassisted client to change positions after epidural placement.
Do I need a doula if my partner will be with me during the birth?
This depends on the level of support you think you'll need during birth. A doula will remain with you through every contraction, support your choices, and offer solutions from their experience and expertise when needed. Partners can make excellent doulas if they are properly prepared and willing to do so. However, it can be taxing work and some partners prefer to be free to be present in other ways and focus on the event as opposed to anticipating and meeting the birthing mother's needs in each moment.
Do doulas speak on behalf of their client's in the birthing room?
Although doulas should be familiar with their client's preferences, birthing women should be encouraged to speak to their care providers directly. Doulas should maintain positive communication between all members of the birth team. If the birthing woman needs to make a decision on an unfamiliar procedure, a doula can help provide additional information to address her concerns and help her formulate questions to ask her care providers.
Why are doulas so expensive?
Every doula comes with a unique and often extensive set of experiences and training that denotes them as a professional in the birthing world. Although individual services vary, doulas offer their clients their resources, expertise, commitment, and focused presence through their labor and delivery certainly, but often in the prenatal and postnatal period as well.
Have studies shown doulas to be effective?
Although we are on the brink of much more evidence becoming available as insurance begins to cover doulas and as access to quality research increases, we do already have evidence that doulas improve birth outcomes. You can find more information on the benefits we've discovered so far in this article over on my blog.
