26/03/2024
“Doulas nurture and support women throughout labor and birth. Their essential role is to provide CONTINUOUS labor support to the mother, no matter what decisions the mother makes or how she gives birth.” -evidence based birth
My responsibility is to YOU. Not to the hospital, nurse, doctor, or even midwife. Your comfort is my number one priority.
Nurses provide support when they can, but research has shown that labor and delivery nurses can only spend a limited amount of time in each client’s room. In one research study nurses spent about 31% of a person’s labor in the room with them. For the majority of that time they were doing clinical care such as administering medications or performing interventions. Only about 12% of each mother’s labor did the nurse provide labor support such as emotional, physical, or informed support or advocacy. Nurses have an obligation to chart, communicate updates to the doctor, provide support to their coworkers, and often help techs with babies, along with many other tasks, especially if they are short staffed. Nurses often do the best they can, but that still leaves the mother without support for 69% or more of her labor.
That, my friend, is where I come in 😜. Doulas provide continuous support, not only for you, but for your birthing partner as well. Whether that be your husband, mom, sister, friend, etc, they are experiencing their own emotional journey that requires support too. Many partners have limited knowledge about birth, medical procedures, or how to best support you. Ideally your birth partner and I can work together to create your ultimate dream team! If you are interested in learning more about how you can access these benefits then send me a message. I would be honored to assist you on your journey to motherhood 🤎
