Doula FAQs: Common Questions About Birth Doulas
Most expecting couples have heard about birth doulas, but still aren’t really sure about how a doula would fit into THEIR birth.
“My partner wants to be really involved, will a doula wedge them out?”
“If I know I want an epidural, what is the point of a doula?”
“What if I want a scheduled induction?”
Read on as I answer those questions, and a few more.
What does a doula actually do?
A doula provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support during pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum.
That can look like talking through your options, helping you hone your birth preferences, offering comfort measures during labor, suggesting position changes, supporting your partner, and facilitate conversations with your provider as new decisions and interventions come up.
Will a doula replace my partner?
We do not replace your partner, we support them, and show them ways they can support you as well.
Your partner doesn’t know how or when to do counter pressure or hip squeezes. They aren’t going to be the ones to pack the fairy lights, a TENS unit, essential oils, and labor combs. Or even if they do, you won’t want to have to remind them to utilize those things while trying to cope with contractions. As doulas, we do this every day. We have taken hours of trainings on how to use these tools, and have had hundreds of hours of practice implementing them. We know birth and the birth environment — the rhythm of labor, what is normal, what questions to ask, and what comfort tools may help.
However, your partner knows you best, and is able to support you in ways we never can. They know your personality, your history, and what helps you feel safe and loved. We can show them ways to be involved that they wouldn’t know otherwise so birth can bring you closer as a couple.
Together, partners and doulas make the perfect birth team.
What is the point of a doula if I’m planning to get an epidural?
A common myth is that birth doulas are only helpful for unmedicated births. Not true!
Before the epidural, we help you manage contractions, decide when to request pain relief, and help with relief techniques in case it takes awhile for the anesthesiologist to arrive, or the epidural to kick in. After the epidural is placed, we use Spinning Babies techniques and a wide variety of position changes to help make space in your pelvis so baby can continue to move down even after you are stuck in bed.
An epidural changes the type of support you need, but it does not remove the need for support.
What if I want an unmedicated/natural birth?
We also love to provide support if you are hoping for an unmedicated birth.
We help you prepare mentally and physically, practice coping tools, and understand what to expect. During labor, we offer hands-on comfort measures like counter pressure, hip squeezes, position changes, breathing support, water or hydrotherapy when available, TENS units, labor combs, affirmations, and reassurance.
Can a doula help with an induction?
Absolutely. Inductions can be long, emotional, and full of decision points. A doula can help you understand what is happening, know what your options are, move your body to help make progress in labor, and use comfort tools throughout the process.
Additionally Dr Rebecca Dekker from Evidence Based Birth looked at the research and found in one study that “that one Cesarean could be prevented for every nine people who receive doula support in labor. And the impact was even greater among people whose labor was being induced. One Cesarean could be prevented for every two people who received doula support during a labor induction”.
When should I hire a doula?
Many families hire us in the first or second trimester to get the maximal amount of support throughout pregnancy. We can help you prepare for provider conversations, provider Lamaze Childbirth Education so you can know your birth preferences, and help with postpartum planning including lactation preperation.
That said, it is never “too late” to reach out. I have taken on clients as late as a week before their due date!
Can a doula give birth location and provider recommendations?
Yes. To be honest this is one of the underrated benefits of working with an experienced local doula.
Because we have supported births with many OBs, midwives, hospitals, and birth centers throughout the area, we have gotten to see how different providers and birth locations tend to practice. We can help you think through which provider or setting may be the best fit for your preferences, personality, and birth goals.
If you are hoping for a low-intervention birth, VBAC, induction, epidural, home birth, or scheduled cesarean, the “right fit” looks different for every mom and baby.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are planning an unmedicated birth, an epidural, an induction, a VBAC, a home birth, or a scheduled cesarean, we love to support every kind of birth.
If you are looking for a birth doula in Elgin, Barrington, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Hoffman Estates, Algonquin, Woodstock, or any other Chicago suburb, we would be honored to walk alongside you.
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