Birth is a sacred event that should be honoured and respected. This is one occasion that you will remember for the rest of your life and so you will want to cherish that memory. One way to provide extra assurance and support is by hiring a doula for you and your partner.
A birth doula is a professional childbirth companion who will get to know you through the pregnancy and then be by your side throughout the labour and birth. She is the one to provide you with emotional support and guidance as well as physical and practical assistance. A doula is not to be confused with a midwife. The benefits from having a doula at your birth derive from the fact that she is a non-medical person with a comprehensive understanding of labour and the procedures pertaining to birth. She is engaged by you and as such her loyalties lie with you and not the medical establishment where you birth your baby.
How do you go about finding the doula that is right for you?
- Ask your local midwife. She may know or work with several doulas. You can also search your local directories or the internet. Once you have located a list of names to contact, it may be best for you to have a few questions in mind to ask her so that you can get a feel for her and if she is suitable for you. Remember you are inviting her into your space therefore she should be what you are looking for and not the other way around. There are all types of doulas and there is one that will fit well with your philosophy.
- It may be a good idea to meet up with a couple of doulas so that you can ask your questions in person and get a feel for what they are like. If you only speak over the phone with someone you may only have half the impression of what she is like. Imagine what would happen if you meet her and she reminds you of someone you do not like!
- Once you have a meeting set up you get to ask her a few questions and she also gets to ask you a few of her own questions. This guarantees that you are both certain about your involvement with each other.
So what questions could you ask a doula?
- Well firstly you may want to know something about her background and whether she has had children herself. It is not indispensible for a doula to have birthed in order for her to have empathy but for some people it is important to know whether her doula will understand what she is going through.
- You may also want to ask her about what education she has for providing labour support and whether she is certified or still training. Remember the level of experience accounts for the fees a doula may charge so it may be reasonable to expect to pay less for a newly certified doula and more for a doula with years of experience. You are of course welcome at this point to ask her how many births has she attended and how long has she been a doula for. It might interest you to find out if she has any other education or experience in supporting childbearing women such as childbirth education, breastfeeding support or postpartum doula support.
- Since it is understandable that you may go into labour and birth at a time in which your doula may not be able to attend your birth you would want to know what arrangements she might have for a back up doula and if you could arrange to meet her back up doula.
- Another important aspect might be knowing what services she offers and what you could expect from her during your pregnancy and labour? You may want to discuss further topics such as pain coping, alternative techniques to assist labour and birth, positions and what she might bring with her to the birth.
- Integral to this is what her fees are and how they are structured and whether there are any possible extra costs that you need to be aware of.
- Finally you may want some information about whether she has had previous experience with you caregivers and your birth location and if she could give you the names of a few people she has worked with as a doula for reference purposes?
What happens after the interview?
After this initial interview you may want to think about this further with your partner and perhaps interview a few more doulas. Once you have made your choice and you have informed your chosen doula you will have another meeting with her to sign a contract with her. This is to give both parties some reassurance. You will then discuss in further detail what it is that will happen from thereon and when you should meet next. From hereon you begin establishing a relationship hopefully based on trust and respect and soon you will be well on your way to getting better emotional support and physical reassurance for your upcoming birth.