Doulas and Midwives and More, Oh My!

January 10th, 2009

Driving home from a long work week the other day, I wrapped up listening to Pregtastic, episode 4 (BTW, lots of good pregnancy/parenting podcasts out there…I’ll do a roundup later).  Doulas were the topic of the day, and Deanna Barberino was on hand to answer questions.  The biggest takeaway for me was the urgency in her voice when she spoke of starting to look for a doula early.  

Oh, wait… some of you have no idea what I’m talking about, huh?  From Deannas page:

A doula is a childbirth professional who understands the natural process of having a baby. The doula accompanies the woman in labor, provides emotional and physical support, suggests comfort measures, and provides support and suggestions for the partner to create the most positive, healthy, and enjoyable experience possible. Whenever possible, the doula provides antepartum and postpartum emotional support, including explanation and discussion of practices and procedures, needed.

In essence, a doula is a baby pro.  They help, make suggestions and give support through the whole process.  I think the resurgence in doulas has a lot to do with the geographic separation of families in the past few decades.  The role would have been handled by the grandmother-to-be back then, but with a few hundred miles separating both of our mothers from us, a doula makes more sense.  We’re pretty settled on the fact that we will pay out of pocket for a post partum doula to help us get into the swing of being parents, and maybe a labor doula to help out with delivery (most insurers do not cover doulas).

Here’s where it gets tricky, and I start tumbling over my own thoughts and notes.  A couple having a baby chooses a doula: they’re not affiliated with any hospital or doctor, like a midwife often is.  It feels a bit like trying to find that perfect Mary Poppins babysitter!  She needs to be kind and gentle to ease Tori’s mind, with a lean towards science and practicality to make me happy.  Dona.org, the “big” national doula registry, has a few in our area, but I’ve also found some certified freelancers.  Now the hunt begins.  I’m waiting for Tori to come out of the first trimester blahs, and then we’ll start the interview process.  If you have a recommendation for someone in the area, please let me know.

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