Doulas

A doula is “a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.” (DONA International) Doulas have been around for centuries. They go all the way back to ancient times when the Greeks would use them as servants. In today’s world, doulas are professionals who go through multiple workshops and trainings to become certified. Doulas are there to make sure that everything is going as smoothly as possible. A great way a doula keeps the family calm is by keeping them informed. When a doctor comes in and talks, it can sometimes be hard to understand some of the medical terms so it is
A doula is not there to replace the partner but to ease their mind. The partner is often thrown into a panic when the mother goes into labor. They are running around wondering if they grabbed this and did they remember that and so and so forth. With a doula, they do not have to carry the entire load because the doula is there and will reassure the partner that they have everything they need for the hospital. Doulas are also there to make sure that the partner is connecting enough with the mother. Many times partners will see the woman they love in pain while hooked up to things such as IV’s or heart rate monitors and they will get scared so they disconnect a little bit. A study observed first-time fathers and compared them to doulas to see their reactions while the mothers were in labor. “Fathers remained significantly farther from mothers and talked and touched significantly less. Fathers' participation was rated by mothers as increasing the meaning of the labor experience and by the couple as strengthening their relationship. All of the women supported by a doula would choose to have a doula support them through their next labor and delivery.” (Bertsch, Nagashima-Whalcn, Dykcman, Kennell, & McGrath 1990) It is perfectly normal for the partner to stray away however, the goal is for the couple to be connected so the doula will nudge the partner a little bit and explain that they do not need to be worried the mother will not break. One thing that most partners appreciate that doulas do for them is they show them how to do things like how they first hold the baby or how to swaddle the baby. A couple had just had a baby, and they had decided that they were going to hire a doula to help them get through everything. The father Kyle is expressing what he appreciated about their doula the most. “She (the doula) instructed him on how to diaper his son, who "was pretty little — I was afraid I