Dads & Doulas

January 23, 2011 By Sweetbirth Leave a Comment

Best HBAC Doula

The Myth About Dads & Doulas

 

 As a Birth Doula I believe that we are a very important role player in most births.  Many fathers feel threatened by the idea of someone else being the support person to their partner during this glorious event.  It is very important that we respect and enhance the role of the father. We do a great job of this as well as simutaneously providing support to him. Here’s what some Sweetbirth Dad’s are saying! 

dad's & dallas doula

 

My Experience With A Doula (from a man’s perspective)

  Like most fathers I was skeptical at first, I mean I’m the dad.  The last thing I need is another woman in the delivery room, right?

  Man was I ever wrong.  Having Rosemary there took a major strain off of me and my fiance/wife.  She knew exactly what to do and when to do it.  Not only that, she was also a strong ally in the hospital room.

  Rosemary has a wealth of knowledge and skill.  It just seems to come natural to her.  My fiancee and I wanted a natural, beautiful, and memorable birth for us and our son to be.  Her OB/GYN and the hospital staff, however, had a different agenda.

  Despite the hospitals efforts to discourage us, Rosemary encouraged us to have the birth we wanted.  It was all that we had hoped it would be, but her care and kindness did not stop at the delivery room.  She was there to help during the difficult first days of having a new born, and is still there for us today.

  My wife Desirea and I would like to extend our thanks to Rosemary, and we highly recommend her to any one expecting a child.

-Josh, Desirea, & Adam Levrette

Garland, TX

September 2010

 dad's & dallas doula  

 

baumler 

  When my wife first suggested we look into a doula (and after I learned what a doula does),  I thought, “Why do we need someone else in the delivery room?  I should be all that my wife needs!”  Then after meeting Rosemary Walker, I began to realize there was more to a doula  than I originally thought and decided to have an open mind.

  Turns out, Rosemary was an invaluable resource in and out of the delivery room.  She was  patient and dependable while we were preparing our birth plan, and she was available and informative anytime we called her with questions, especially the night we checked into the hospital.  But the real benefit was realized in the delivery room.  She came prepared to assist my wife with the birth as well as brought snacks to keep me going during the 10-hour labor. 

  My wife was determined to have an all natural childbirth, and the techniques Rosemary utilized (in which I was able to assist with) I believe helped ease the struggle my wife was going through.  I would never have been able to do it all by myself. 

  Rosemary was also a strong advocate for our birth plan and worked in tandem with our physician and hospital staff to allow us to experience the birth we planned and hoped for.  She was a tremendous asset when we had our first baby, and I would not hesitate to use her again to assist us with any future childbirths.  She was a true professional but also became a good friend, even to this day.                                    

-Paul, Melissa, & Jason Baumler

Plano, TX

February 2008

 dad's & dallas doula

Filed Under Dads & Doulas, What the Heck is a Doula?

What the heck is a doula?

January 22, 2011 By Sweetbirth Leave a Comment

 

Best Dallas Doula

  The word “doula” comes from the ancient Greek meaning “a woman who serves” and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the birthing family before, during and just after birth.

  Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

A Birth Doula:

  • Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life.
  • Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor.
  • Assists the family in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth.
  • Stays with the family throughout the labor.
  • Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the family get the information they need to make informed decision.
  • Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers.
  • Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the family’s memory of the birth experience.
  • Allows the woman’s partner to participate at his/her comfort level and DOES NOT REPLACE THE PARTNER.

Evidence Based Stats Are:

  • 50% reduction in the cesarean rate
  • 25% shorter labor
  • 60% reduction in epidural requests
  • 40% reduction in oxytocin use
  • 30% reduction in analgesia use
  • 40% reduction in forceps delivery

Information was obtained from Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can HelpYou Have a Shorter Easier and Healthier Birth, Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus (1993).

Will the Doula replace the father?

  Some fathers or partners are concerned they may be sidelined or replaced by the Doula during labor. Although individual situations vary, and one should question a prospective doula about her philosophy, generally the answer to this question is no – she will not replace him. Studies have shown that fathers usually participate more actively during labor in the presence of a Doula than without one. A responsible Doula supports and encourages the father and enhances his support style rather than replaces him.  It is very imoortant that a trust basis be met when working with a doula. She should be working to achieve your best birth as a couple, not her agenda.

Filed Under What the Heck is a Doula?