We've hired a professional...

After much hamming and hawing, we have decided to follow the overwhelming advice we have been given by our midwives, childbirth educator, and experienced Moms we have been talking to. We have decided to hire a doula to help us through labor and birth. I had no idea that this kind of person existed before embarking on the journey of pregnancy, but now I can't imagine delivering a baby without one. A doula is a professional labor coach who is with you from when labor starts (or whenever you call her) until about an hour after birth, or once breastfeeding is established and we are feeling settled. She knows all about labor and delivery and all of its possible variations. Doulas specialize specifically in helping the laboring woman cope with pain through non-medical means (i.e. massage, distraction, positions, accupressure, etc), which is why they can be so beneficial.

After lots of reading on the subject and hearing about the experiences of others, we have learned that the benefits of having a doula are huge! Couples who are assisted in labor by a doula tend to have shorter labors, vastly decreased chances of having an unnecessary c-section, decreased use of pain medications, far fewer medical interventions at any point in the labor and delivery process, and reports of increased satisfaction with the whole experience. Since we are aiming for an unmedicated birth, the addition of a person who could help us achieve that goal seemed like a no-brainer. Not to mention the fact that Nathan's level of worry about the big event dropped dramatically once he knew that he would have a helper to help him help me. He is more prepared now to be an emotional support to me and not have to worry about remembering the various positions, stages, and all of the other labor details that we have learned in our childbirth class. All of that will be up to the doula.

We have hired a wonderful woman named Dianne, and you can read more about her and what a doula does at her website, www.douladianne.blogspot.com. If you scroll down past all of the adorable birth photos, she has included information about the role of a doula in the birth process. We will be her 36th birth this year and can't wait to get our little one's picture on her page with the rest of those cute babies!