OB Blogs about Doulas

I am a follower of @askmyobgyn on twitter, and the other day he posted that he was looking for ideas for a blog post, so I suggested he write about his experience with doulas, if he had any. Right away he answered that he had plenty of experience with this and would work on the post within the next day or so. Awesome- I was so pumped that he had taken my suggestion! It's always nice to see what people in the medical community really think of the role of a doula. After reading it I also wanted to share my opinion on what was written. So here is a link to the blog post: http://askmyobgyn.com/gyn_blog.php

I really liked some of the points that he made. Specifically: Who will be there for YOU, and not for themselves? This is why many people choose a doula rather than a family member or friend to share this experience with. She isn't emotionally tied so can often have a perspective that you and/or your partner lack, especially in stressful situations. She is also the only person in the room who's only focus is YOU and your needs. The medical staff has many other tasks and usually other patients to attend to, and the partner is having his/her own experience. This is very important for both of you to go through. He failed to mention, however that the role of the doula is also to support and encourage your spouse or labor coach. Dads in particular most of the time want to be involved as much as possible, but don't always know what to do. The doula can help suggest comfort measures he/she can assist with, explain procedures that are happening, or even reassure him/her that your reactions are normal or not. An added bonus is that the mother will then never be left alone with more than one support person available. An average first time labor lasts about 17 hours, many much more than that. At some point it's nice to be able to take a nap if needed, go get something to eat, or run to the bathroom and not have to worry that mom won't be cared for in your absence. I did notice that he kept referring to a support "person" and never used the word "people". I don't know about his particular experience, but I have never been 1 on 1 with a mom- there has always been a husband or other birth coach there as well. Everyone there works as a team to make the experience the best that it can be for the parent(s). This includes the medical staff as well.

Overall, I felt that it was a positive piece. My personal experience with obstetricians has always been a positive one, so I wasn't surprised. He did mention that there are rare doulas who give us a bad name. It is important for me to be trained and certified with DONA because this is part of our code of ethics and something that sets us apart. Anyone can call themselves a doula since there are no formal regulations. Those of us who take the time to get certified which equals in time about the same as getting a two year college degree have shown we want to be seen as the professionals we are. Hopefully one day doulas will be as recognized as obstetricians for our important role on the birth team.

Introduction

Hey everyone, welcome to my blog. As a birth doula, I needed a place where I could provide more information to my clients and other expectant parent(s). There is so much info to learn and even though I am not an expert by any means, I am very passionate about educating parents about their options for birth and beyond. I have a few ideas for upcoming blog posts, but would love feedback as well. As an expectant parent, what would you like to hear more about?....or what did you wish you knew more about when you were expecting? Here are a few I am thinking of or working on:
5 Myths About Doulas
Planning Your Birth
Childbirth Education Options
Breastfeeding...lots of possible topics here
Let me know what you think and some possible topic ideas. Enjoy reading!

Abbey