A doula can ease your fears
The fact that you are here, at this website, may mean that you are looking for something beyond a typical hospital birth experience. Perhaps you’ve heard horror stories about unnecessary and unwanted interventions, inductions and c-sections. Perhaps your first birth was ‘a nightmare’ and you’re hoping for a calmer, easier, faster birth this time — an experienced doula can make all the difference.
Perhaps you’re here because you want your birth experience to be life affirming, rewarding and even enjoyable. This is your chance to feel empowered, safe and cared for and to have a better birth in a hospital, birth center or at home. Whether you’re planning a natural, unmedicated birth, an epidural or a surgical birth, the first step toward a better birth experience includes the support of an experienced doula.
If you want to help make changes to hospital policies, be sure to participate in the Letters Project and to tell all of your pregnant friends.
If you are uncertain about what hospital is best for your type of birth, please check the Hospital Project, where hospitals are rated by experienced doulas based on what services, protocols and policies are in place.
A doula can save you money
The presence of a doula during your labor can reduce the need for a surgical birth (c-section) by 40-60%. Your copayment for a surgical birth may be less than the doula’s fees, and you may be reimbursed for up to 70% of your doula’s fees by your insurance company. Even without reimbursement, you can save money by hiring a doula to prevent unnecessary and costly procedures. These charges include the cost of the anesthesiologist, the additional days spent in the hospital, additional tests and procedures required for a baby born via surgery and the cost of postpartum help while the new mother recovers from major abdominal surgery. Can you afford NOT to hire a doula for your baby’s birth?
A Doula Can Support You Virtually
Hands-on support is, of course, the best … but is it possible to have doula support during Covid-19, when hospitals aren’t allowing doulas to accompany their clients? The simple answer is YES!
The most important aspect of doula support is empowerment. I’ve had clients who had a precipitous birth, which is labor that lasts no more than three hours from onset of regular contractions to birth. By the time they called me, it was too late for me to do much labor support and sometimes the baby arrived before I did!
One client emailed me at 8:27 p.m. asking if I thought she might be in early labor. At 9:06, her husband called and said they were heading for the hospital. I arrived at the hospital at 9:40 and got to her room at 9:50 – baby was born at 9:54. Luckily, I managed to catch the birth on film. The new mom turned to me and said, “I’m so glad you’re here – I couldn’t have done this without you!”
When I responded that I had just arrived, she said that the birth preparation empowered them to feel confident and not afraid even though labor was moving very quickly.
One HUGE advantage to virtual childbirth education and virtual labor support is that I can now support pregnant people no matter where they live!
If you’re interested in virtual childbirth education and virtual labor support, just fill out the form on the “Let’s Meet” page. I’d love to be your virtual doula!