A doula provides non-medical labor support. She fills a very different role from that of a nurse, a doctor, a midwife, or a partner. Her sole focus is on the laboring woman. She will not be distracted from her role as a care provider by a medical event, nor will she be overwhelmed by the emotion of the labor process. She has the experience of having attended births before and she both understands the process and is familiar with numerous comfort measures and coping techniques.
A Doula Will...
- Be fully focused on providing support to the laboring woman throughout her entire labor
- Be familiar with comfort measures for birthing
- Be familiar with the laboring woman's wishes regarding her birth
- Advocate for the mother
- Provide support and rest breaks for the father
A Doula Will Not...
- Become focused on the medical aspects of the birth
- Be overwhelmed by seeing the mother in pain
- Leave the mother frequently or for a long period of time unless asked to do so
- Replace the father as a support person
- Pressure the mother to make particular choices regarding her birth
How Might a Doula Interact With...
The Mother?
The Father or Birth Partner?
The Doctor or Midwife?
The Nurses?
Family or Friends Present?
Although the doula will interact with everyone present at the birth, the mother should be her main focus. Your doula might offer to massage the mother, suggest different positions, review her birth plan with her if circumstances change, offer techniques to keep her focus off the pain or bring her food or other items from outside the area she is laboring in.
Helping to facilitate the father or birth partner is one of the doulas main goals. She might suggest applying counter pressure in a certain place, offer tips about how to touch the mother at different phases of labor, help him learn how to support the mother in different labor positions or bring him food and relieve him from time to time so that he doesn't become exhausted.
The doctor or midwife will probably not be in the room for the majority of the labor. Therefore, the doula interacts less with him or her than she might with other members of the labor support group. However, a doula can be an important link in communication between the doctor or midwife and the mother. Since she is familiar with the mother's or couple's birth plan, the doula can often answer simple questions for the doctor or remind him or her of a particular desire of the laboring couple. A doula will also be familiar enough with the mother to provide a personalized frame of reference for any medical procedures that the doctor or midwife may discuss with her.
Particularly in our community, doulas and nurses tend to have a very good working relationship. Your doula will very likely have met at least one of your nurses and worked with them at a previous birth. Both your doula and your nurse should be working towards the goal of you having the best birth experience possible. Your nurse should be extremely familiar with your doctor just as your doula should be extremely familiar with you and the communication link between your doula and your nurse is extremely important.
Your doula should know in advance whom you wish to have present at your birth and what roles you would like them to play. Her interaction with any family or friends at your birth then, will largely take the form of making certain that you are comfortable with them and the role they are playing. A doula may suggest roles for people that you wish to play an active part in you labor and she may find less hands-on tasks for those you have indicated should be less involved in the birth.
Hava Noel Phillips
Certified Doula
(707)826-1330
havanoel@yahoo.com
............D o u l a s............
H a v a N o e l P h i l l i p s
(707)826-1330 havanoel@yahoo.com