Doulas

mrszoobear · May 2019

I know they have not become so popular that everyone uses them yet but I just wanted to gage how prevalent they are and start a thread were we can talk about them.

I just had a phone interview with a Doula I think we will end up hiring. Just talking to her put me at ease and she is also a liscenced massage therapist so I feel like that is a huge plus!

Anyone else planning on having a doula for their pregnancy, birth and or postpartum needs?

midgeroseftm · May 2019

I’ve had several friends recommend them (especially as advocates in the hospital) but I don’t know where to begin...If anyone knows an amazing doula in the Bay Area (or general recommendations for finding one) let me know!

CapricaAndrea · May 2019

I had a doula for my first birth, because I was planning to go completely natural. Also my husband is super anxious and I wanted someone there to help keep him calm so I didn’t have to worry about it

Well, about 4 weeks before my due date, my doula had a death in the family and passed me on to colleagues of hers who work as a pair. I literally met them each once before I went into labour, so I didn’t really have any sort of connection with them, and my husband didn’t either. Then when I started doing the coping mechanisms I had discussed with the first doula, they kept trying to steer me in a different direction which really just pissed me off.

And then in the room I ended up opting for an epidural and was stuck in bed, so the doula didn’t really end up being helpful at all. She did take some pictures immediately after birth so they are the first photos I have of DS, but I could have just as easily asked a family member to do that.

So, I’m not having a doula this time, though under normal circumstances I’m still a big advocate of them!

nsquaredlife13 · May 2019

I'm torn on Doulas! I think they're great for people who really need them.

We hired a doula at 34 weeks for my first birth, and learned at 36 weeks my son was Breech. She attended both of my ECV's and came to my CS for emotional support. Not really needed but we had already paid her so we took advantage of her help.

Second baby, we decided not to hire a Doula. We did Bradley Method and my husband is pretty much the best man-Doula ever

. He kicked butt, took care of business with the shitty nurse we had (he got her removed from our service) and was such a great coach for my very fast labor and delivery.

I have no desire to hire one for this next birth, I told my husband he has to be my man-Doula again!

That said, I do see value in a Doula when you are having an unmedicated birth. They take a lot of the pressure that you may get from OB's and Nurses and can be a huge help. But I think you really need to vet for a good one because you could as easily get one who isn't that helpful.

mrszoobear · June 2019

Pretty sure we found our Doula! She is very informative, nice, doesn't annoy me lol. Plus even my husband likes her and thinks it's a good idea to hire her. Which is amazing because he is sooo cheap I was afraid he wouldn't want to. Any way we are excited!

Megz1902 · June 2019

I am planning to hire a doula, as I am hoping for a VBAC. Not sure when I should start looking for one, but I'm guessing now.

ashorkey · June 2019

@mrszoobear woohoo!!!

We didn't have one for our first but are thinking it's a good idea this time around. I have an interview with one on the 22nd (she's on vacation from now until then). I really hope she works out!

lucylivesinwa · June 2019

How did you all find your doulas? I like the idea of having one, but there doesn't seem to be any easy way to find them. Was it through a doctor recommendation?

ashorkey · June 2019

@lucylivesinwa I found a website that lists a lot of doulas in my state. It wasn't the best process because many don't have their websites listed so it took time to go through it all. My midwife also provided me with a list that she has worked with in the past as well. I ended up not choosing any to chat with off of her list though.

mrszoobear · June 2019

@lucylivesinwa - what @ashorkey said. I found mine on https://doulamatch.net/.

The first doula I found said she works with women within my area but not my hospital. She did live about 1 hour away so that seemed like a legit reason.

The second one I emailed was the one we ended up hiring. We exchanged a couple emails, set up a time to do a phone interview and finally had a face to face interview with my hubby, her and myself before we hired her.

midgeroseftm · June 2019

@lucylivesinwa if there’s a prenatal yoga class in your area that’s a GREAT network to find one. The instructor for mine gave me recs, plus there were about 30 pregnant women there who were mostly in the third trimester, if I’d wanted second opinions.

CapricaAndrea · June 2019

@lucylivesinwa I found mine through a friend's recommendation. Do you have a local facebook group or something where you could ask for recommendations (or even just search to see if someone's asked before)?

klmcguire · June 2019

We have a couple of amazing Doulas in our town that are actually friends of mine. I am super torn on whether or not I want to use one. I have had 2 successful inductions both at 40 weeks and I am not sure that this one wont end the same. I would like to have a natural child birth, but we will see.

triwellnessgirl · June 2019

We hired a Doula for our first baby and she was amazing and so helpful the whole pregnancy. We've already hired her for this pregnancy as well. I'm very much about natural birth and minimal medical intervention so it's nice to know I have an experienced professional who shares the same ideas as me and will be advocating for me should something unique happen.

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