Labor Support Doulas are not Midwives
After five years of being a labor support doula, here are a few questions I get pretty often:
"So basically, you are a midwife?"
"How are you labor support doula and have no kids?"
"So basically, doulas just hang out with pregnant women all day?"
Today I am taking some time out to debunk these three myths.
virtual childbirth education for expecting mamas and their support team!
A labor support doula is not a midwife
A labor support doula is not a midwife. We are similar in that we support pregnant women and families during pregnancy, labor, and the first postpartum moments. We are different because midwives care for a pregnant person and their baby's medical needs (ex. Checking vital signs, taking blood work, delivering baby, etc.) While a doula takes care of a pregnant person and their baby's emotional, physical, and spiritual needs (ex., Massage, aromatherapy, teaching pain management techniques, helping create a birth plan, etc.). Both midwives and doulas play vital roles in the birth world, yet we are not the same. If you hire a midwife thinking you will get doula support and vice versa, I can assure you that you and your family will be highly disappointed. This is not to say that some midwives don't carry doula qualities or training and vice versa, but their role in the moment of labor and delivery is to focus on mom and babies health and safety. While a doulas role during labor is to help mom and her support team to remain grounded, supported, and heard through the entire process.
The definition of a doula is: a trained professional hired to provide guidance and support to a mother, her baby, and village as she navigates pregnancy and labor.
In recent years being a doula has become popular and known as a career option. In earlier years a doula would be a person in your community who had experience around mothers, baby's, and the birth experience or had a close relationship with the pregnant mom and family. Their job, similar to doulas today, was to support the expectant mother and family. As a society we shifted away from community based living, this has affected many aspects of life such as how women birth and are cared for postpartum. We rely more on modern technology and doctors than we do the advice from experienced loved ones, evidence based data, and our own intuition. We have become out of touch with a natural and normal experience. The role of a doula today has shifted a bit. Our role is not just to support a woman's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. We have been called to remind families that yes medical professionals are here to help us but at the end of the day you know what is best for your body and lifestyle. We have been called to remind women and families of their divine powers. Do what is best for you when it comes to making decisions during your pregnancy and labor experience, tap into your inner strength and wisdom.
The next question I get often is…
"How could you be a doula and have no personal experience going through childbirth?"
I normally respond with an "umm, well the same way an oncologist can support a patient suffering with cancer, even though they themselves have never had cancer a day in their life. With training, real life experiences, and continuing education courses/books is how I best show up for my clients!!" After this response if the person was being condescending or in other words a hater this usually shuts them up. If they are genuinely asking because they don't understand, this response usually helps to put things into perspective. How awful would it be if the only way you could empathize or support a person is if you have gone through the EXACT same thing they are experiencing. No one would be able to help anyone or seek support, because all situations are different regardless of how similar they may be.
A benefit to not having a personal experience with childbirth within the last 5 years is that I am unable to put my personal experience on others. Whether my experience was positive or negative, putting my own experience, traumas, and beliefs onto someone else could be detrimental to their birthing experience. Every woman and pregnancy is different, my role as a doula is to inform and support not to replicate or hinder experiences that occurred during my birth.
Within my 5 years of being a doula, I have learned that focusing on my mindset, building my tribe, and practicing what I share with others in my own life has helped me show up for my clients even better. Alongside pouring into my personal wellbeing. Focusing on reading continuing education via books, courses, mentorships, videos, etc has been a key part to being an informed, experienced, and up to date doula. Research and technology change on the daily, this is the same when it comes to women's health and babies. (Ex. In the 60s women were suggested to place babies on their stomach, in recent years it has been proven that placing a newborn on their stomach can bring on SIDS (Sudden Death Syndrome). Yes, having a physical connection to pregnancy and birth can be helpful. But having Wisdom, Knowledge, Integrity, and Empathy is what makes someone an informed and effective doula!
The next question I get somewhat often is:
"So doulas hang out with pregnant people all day?"
The average person is not investing their money for someone to just "hang out" with them. When I spend time with clients before the labor experience. We spend that time preparing my clients household, discussing concerns, creating a birth plan, going over pain management techniques, etc. In order to manage your unique challenges you will face during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum preparation is essential. Preparation of your mind, body, household, and support team are critical for decision making, advocating, and remaining grounded through your unique milestones. A labor support doula informs families of their options and holds space for them to make the best decision for their lifestyle.
There is lots of evidence that labor support doulas are beneficial for families. Some benefits include:
We help families to organize their thoughts and to start researching the various options available to them. Having organized thoughts helps to reduce anxiety, anger, and to help formulate your own opinion. By formulating your own opinion and advocating for it, allows for you to feel in control and to get your needs met. By giving others the power to make decisions for you, robs you of tapping into your own intuition. There is a time and place for you to take in the opinions of others and then there's a time to shut others opinions out and do what is best for you!
Another benefit of a labor support doula is that our goal when working with you is to create an atmosphere of good vibes! Whether that is setting the atmosphere to be tranquil, informative, upbeat, or a bit of all three we will help you set the tone! Doulas are women's health and newborn specialists, we have a bag of eclectic tips and tricks to help you and your family relax. Doulas aren't stingy with information and the support we provide for you and your family. We encourage you to incorporate them in your personal lif you find they are working. (Ex. Aromatherapy, yoga ball stretches, birth and postpartum plan templates, meal prep, household organization, etc.)
If you think you or a loved one would benefit from a consultation, doula support, or childbirth education. Book a free consultation with your Zero to Nine doula who will help you create a game plan. Support for each family and woman is different!