Doula Differences
Doulas, please check which describes your beliefs the best.
_____ The Hands-Off Helper I personally believe that the birthing mother
has an inherent ability to bring forth her child without intervention of
any kind, including my own. With kind encouragement and support, I
help her find the path to delivery that she wishes to take. I do offer
a “hands-on” approach to labor support when it comes to physical touching,
massage, support, etc., but I keep my “hands off” of the management of labor
itself.
_____ The Gentle Guide I agree that birth itself is natural,
yet I also believe it is cultural. Women need each other during this
time, and we pass down the wisdom of birth from one generation to the next.
Just as swimming needs instruction, birth comes with the unwritten instruction
manual of maternal wisdom. As a doula, I am there to offer the support,
encouragement, and wisdom of an experienced mother, helping the birth process
to be more smooth and enjoyable. I do not dictate the events of the
birth, but I do provide the anchor of experience when the waves of birth
become too intense to ride alone.
_____ The Loving Leader In my work, I find that I take a very
active role in “steering the ship” when it comes to labor and delivery.
I believe that during labor, many women are focused on relaxing and becoming
increasingly tranquil, and therefore do not want to be bothered with the
thought processes of decision-making. My role is to be the person responsible
for organizing the events of labor to free the hands of the parents, allowing
them to just enjoy the moment.
Besides the doula’s personal involvement in the course
of labor, you need to know where she stands in regard to her role in general.
Does she place herself in the driver’s seat, or is she more comfortable in
the back seat as the navigator?
____ The Primary Partner For the majority of the births I attend,
I find myself wearing the hat of primary support person. In most births,
the mother becomes dependant on the help that I provide, and the father and
other family members are free to provide support at their own comfort level.
More often than not, the father wishes to provide loving support to the mother,
while I help her with major coping mechanisms. This is a balance that
I work the best with.
____ The Father’s Helper I love to see the fathers be the primary support
person during the birth, and I tend to find myself in the secondary position.
I feel that every father is capable of being her number one support, if he
is supported himself to the extent that he needs. I believe that the
woman is not the only one giving birth that day, and so the father should
be equally supported and encouraged as he too becomes a parent.
When all is said and done, I want to hear the mother say, “I couldn’t have
done it without… him!”
There are varying degrees as to how a doula will be your advocate during
the birth and it is vital to understand where she is coming from before you
go into labor. It is also important information to your care provider
if he or she is uncertain about the role the doula will play at your birth.
The best case scenario, of course, is when the doctor and the doula consider
themselves to be on the same team, working toward a common goal.
Use the following section to help you get a feel for the style of practice
your doula offers.
I feel it is partly my job to protect the birth plan by
___ any means necessary.
___ strict diplomacy with staff.
___ encouraging the parents to be their own advocates.
I believe hospital birth is
___ a hostile environment and partly or wholly unsafe.
___ affected by the quality and experience of the provider.
___ is the safest place to have a baby.
If I feel you need additional care that you are not receiving in the hospital
I will
___ Slip you the necessary remedy or procedure when the
nurse is gone.
___ Keep my thoughts to myself.
___ Bring it up with the nurse or provider in a diplomatic
way to get you what you need.
Regarding clinical procedures such as cervical dilation checks
___ I am trained to provide you with these services.
(this places the doula in a monitrice
role)
___ I wish to remain in the non-clinical role of the doula.
Regarding natural childbirth
___ I feel that is why I am being hired, so that I can
help you achieve it.
___ I feel that it is the optimum way to deliver a baby,
and I will do my
best to help you
reach that goal.
___ I personally believe in natural childbirth, but will
set my bias aside if you
choose a medically-managed
birth and support you 100%.
___ I believe that birth goes beyond what happens clinically,
and my job is
to help you have
the best experience possible, regardless of the outcome.