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Postpartum Support

We want to support you without judgement. We want to help you find solutions that work for your family.

4th trimester support: literal and virtual

**This post contains affiliate links, and we may get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Virtual Support

Do you know who to call when you are having trouble getting baby to calm down? Would you love to have a person who knows lots of different tricks and methods and who will listen to you without judgement? What if you had someone calling to check on you as often as you need to answer your questions and reassure you that you’re doing a great job? Postpartum support is something we love to do to help families, especially right now in this isolating pandemic.

Our Virtual Postpartum Package is set up to provide extra postpartum support to families during the time of COVID-19. Postpartum is already a time of introspection and withdrawal while families integrate their new baby into their lives. Currently, parents are faced with increased isolation or fewer social contacts. This package allows families to have access to a supportive, trained doula to process birth stories, explore “what’s normal” with infant care and postpartum recovery. We are happy to provide breastfeeding/bottle feeding/pumping support too! We also have lots of ideas for partners on how to best help and support their birthing partner and baby. We want to help answer your questions regarding sleep, infant development, bonding, baby wearing, soothing, sibling transitions, and navigating relationships. It’s like having a postpartum BFF in your pocket!

This virtual postpartum support package includes

2 one-hour long planning sessions before the baby arrives
6 postpartum support calls (30-60 minutes each)
6 weeks of unlimited email/text postpartum support
Additional time can be purchased for $20/hour if needed

We would love to talk to you about how we can help support your postpartum transition!

Literal Support

Belly Bandit** is all about making products to support your growing family, and I especially love what they have for during the 4th trimester. When you are pregnant your growing baby pushes all of your organs out of the way to make room for your baby. Once that baby isn’t inside there anymore, all of your organs move back into their regular places, though of course not exactly the way they were before you got pregnant. That’s why sometimes even if you weigh the same as before, your clothes might not fit the same way. Your body has still been rearranged. A little extra literal postpartum support can be helpful in your 4th trimester to support your midsection as it retracts. We promise you won’t need it forever, but a little extra literal postpartum support can make a huge difference in the 4th trimester.

This is especially true if you had cesarean surgery to bring your child earth-side. Often after surgery your abdomen can feel very unstable postpartum, and even like you are scared to cough in case your guts are going to spill out. Sorry to be graphic, but if you have had cesarean surgery, then you know! One thing we like to recommend after surgery is a belly band that supports your abdomen, and Belly Bandit** has some very affordable and helpful ones. These can make you feel like your body is going to hold together better and can make a huge difference in recovery.

Support

“I want to be around people that do things. I don’t want to be around people anymore that judge or talk about what people do. I want to be around people that dream and support and do things.”― Amy Poehler

We want to support you without judgement. We want to help you find solutions that work for your family. Contact us today to talk about how we can help support your growing family.

3 Reasons to Hire a Doula

There are a million reasons that people hire a doula, and I’m only listing three here. As I have written before, families deserve support and doulas know a few things that can help you along the way. I love winning over the skeptics. I honestly find that many of the partners who were skeptical in the first place become the doula’s biggest fan when they meet us and see us in action. Birth and postpartum can be challenging; doulas are here to help.

1. Personalized Care

When you hire a doula you are getting a pregnancy, birth, and postpartum BFF who knows all kinds of great information and resources to send you. Doulas get to know you and what you want for your birth and the beginning of your life with a new baby. Sometimes you scour the internet and ask in parent groups online only to find conflicting and confusing advice. A doula can help you sift through that information for what you really need, what is evidence-based, and what will help you toward your own personal goals. We know about about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

2. Navigation

Navigating the healthcare system is challenging, and doulas can help with that too. When you hire a doula you get a professional person who knows the trail and can help you navigate the twists and turns. We have worked with many of the local providers in Evansville and Owensboro, and I always joke that we know all the stuff on the secret menu too. What I mean is that knowing the right things to request at the hospital can be extra helpful.

3. Zero Judgement

Hiring a doula means you have a completely non-judgemental person with professional support training and zero personal interest, because that is good and important thing. Doulas are there to serve you without agenda. We know our opinion is irrelevant and we are there to serve the birthing person and their partner. So no matter if you are planning to get an epidural as soon as possible, birthing at home with a midwife, or planning a scheduled cesarean, we can help.

Don’t take my word for it…

“Couples often wonder if they should hire a doula. Maybe your friends had wonderful births and didn’t hire a doula, why should you? All I can say is that doulas are like guides for the trek of labor. They know the landscape, are familiar with the people, sights, and sounds, and know special tricks that just might help you over a peak or through a valley or help facilitate that magical experience that lands firmly in your memory forever. And doulas are there for the whole family. They support partners, too, helping them understand what’s going on, get food, rest, and much needed breaks, and they can also guide partners in better ways to support the laboring parent. You do not have to go it alone. There are others who have trekked before you and know the way. Ask them for help.” (Transformed by Birth by Dr. Britta Bushnell, p136)

The path may be well worn, but sometimes having a doula can make it more enjoyable. Hire a doula to help you move around and suggest position changes. Hire a doula so your partner can go to the bathroom without leaving you alone. Maybe everything medical makes your partner nauseous. If you want someone there to go through it all with you, hire a doula. A doula works for you and nobody else, and that can be invaluable on one of the biggest days of your life.

Learning Alert: Certified Lactation Educator

Human lactation is awesome! It can also be confusing and complicated. Have you ever wished you knew more about the evidence around human lactation? Ever wondered if the advice you were given from Aunt Rita was actually good? Have you ever wanted to teach more accurate information about human milk to your community? If you said yes, then we are hosting a training for you to become a Certified Lactation Educator!

In 3 days you will learn about:

Goals/Roles of the Lactation Educator
Historical Look at Breastfeeding
Anatomy of Breast and Lactation Physiology
Importance of Breastfeeding/ Hazards of Formula Feeding
Counseling the Postpartum Family
Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding – BabyFriendly Information
Working with the Hospital
Maternal/Infant Challenges
Pumping/Expressing Breastmilk
Medications and Mother’s Milk
Maintaining Milk Supply
Teaching To Adult Learners
Latch and Positioning
Working with the Hospital
When and who to refer moms to for additional help
And much more!

Who is this training for?

Labor and postpartum doulas, Registered Dietitians, public and community health employees, WIC staff, childbirth educators, hospital staff, pediatricians, obstetricians, midwives, nurses, speech language pathologist, or ANYONE passionate about breastfeeding

When & Where

8:30am-5:30pm Saturday February 15, 2020-Monday February 17, 2020 in the Innovation Point Building downtown Evansville.

About Bonnie

I have had the privilege of hosting Bonnie before for a certified lactation educator training, and I always love learning from her. Bonnie balances lectures with hands on training with compassion. She is also ridiculously knowledgeable about breastfeeding not just because she is a board certified lactation consultant, but also because she has practical experience working with breastfeeding families in her independent private practice. Bonnie is a delight to be around and a fantastic source for information and skills.

We hope you will join us for this 3 day training that is entirely evidence-based. Have you committed to learning more skills this year to enhance your already impressive base? Come learn with us!

Here is a link to the training if you’d like to sign up or learn more.

Messages

Stop listening to all the bad messages!

Have you ever heard any of the following statements?

Oh you’ll be begging for the drugs in labor!

Maybe we should just schedule an induction so that baby doesn’t get too big.

Your pelvis is just way too small to birth a baby.

Oh my gosh, is that baby eating AGAIN?

Does your baby ever stop crying?

Have you ever stopped to think about the messages we are sending expecting families?

These are some of the common themes I hear:

Doubt your body.

Doubt your abilities.

Just listen to whatever I tell you and do as I say.

You are not enough.

All of these messages are completely counter to what you actually need when you are preparing for birth. Yes, maybe your friend did beg for the drugs in labor, but that doesn’t mean you will. Yes, maybe an induction is appropriate for some people, but not everyone wants or needs to have a medically managed birth. What if I told you that ultrasounds are not actually very accurate at predicting a baby’s weight and that the only way to tell if your pelvis is too small to fit a baby out of it is to try? And of course the messages don’t stop after the baby is born! The amount of bad breastfeeding advice I see is astounding.

What if, instead of sending people the messages that they are not good enough, we empowered them with the knowledge and skills they need to confidently give birth? What if we spent as much time telling the fantastic and amazing birth stories as we do the bad ones? What if we trusted bodies and tried to better understand biology and physiology and psychology so that we can help people have better birth experiences? What if we had a better understanding of how breastfeeding actually works and what breastfed babies need?

Half of navigating all this messaging is in knowing who to ask for good information, and let me tell you, it isn’t going to be found in a Facebook group full of other parents who are also being pumped with bad messages! As a Lamaze certified childbirth educator, I help guide people through the evidence and navigate through their fears to get to a place of understanding what they need to do and know to have a better birth experience. I have an entirely evidence-based curriculum with a list of topics that I am required to cover and a test I had to take in order for my class to be considered a Lamaze class. (Hint: not all childbirth classes are created equal or have these requirements!) Information and communication is also one of my strengths as a doula!

But the onus is not entirely on everyone else! You are also responsible for which messaging you are internalizing! What if we spent more time preparing for birth prenatally rather than just depending on people to tell us what to do? What if we spent as much time learning about the birthing process as we do researching the best stroller and car seat?

Being mindful of the messages we receive and how we internalize them can be extremely helpful when searching for insight about our own fears, especially regarding childbirth and parenthood in general really. What messages do you see reflected about childbirth, in our culture? In advertising? In medicine? In your family and friends?

Human Milk Skills

Feeding babies is a subject that I make sure to keep up on as a doula and childbirth educator, and in May I am hosting the brilliant Bonnie Logsdon again to teach a CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator training here in Evansville. This is a training for all kinds of people to come learn more about breastfeeding, in the hopes that they will be better able to support parents with knowledge and resources! I took this training last year for the first time, and learned so much even as a mom who breastfed two babies herself and as a doula too! This class is perfect to compliment the knowledge you might already have as a professional who regularly meets with breastfeeding families and wants to build on their knowledge base to better serve those families. You can learn more about the CLE program here. If you are interested in learning more about all the different types of breastfeeding support people, you can check out this link too.

Here is a little bit from the instructor Bonnie herself:

____________________________________________ I am Bonnie Holt Logsdon, a Registered Dietitian (RD), International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Certified Lactation Educator™ (CLE©) through CAPPA and a DONA trained birth doula with over fifteen years of experience in practice. I am grateful and happy to be supporting Louisville and Southern Indiana families during the prenatal and postpartum period for both nutrition and breastfeeding support. From belly to birth to breast, I am here for you!

When I am not doing this job that I love, I am spending time with my husband and our three year old son. We have traveled the world together and now enjoy time with our happy, yappy nursing kiddo. He is our greatest adventure and keeps us on our toes and laughing! In my free time I enjoy quality time with family and friends, cooking and experimenting with new foods from around the world, traveling and visiting as many National Parks as possible!

I am excited to offer the 3-day Certified Lactation Educator training in Evansville, May 16-18, 2019. Concepts covered over the three days include: The Role of Lactation Professionals, A History of Breastfeeding, Group Process, Learning Styles, Anatomy and Physiology of Breastfeeding, The Importance of Breastmilk and Breastfeeding, Prenatal Support and Breastfeeding issues, Birth’s Impact on Breastfeeding, the Hospital Experience, Latch and the Breast Crawl, Skin To Skin, Signs of Successful Feeding, Maternal and Infant Challenges, Medications and Breastmilk, Fathers and Partners, and Curriculum Development.This course is perfect for anyone interested in or currently working with families of childbearing age. No need to a be a healthcare professional to take this course. To register, visit my website, https://www.thebabysvoice.com/trainings. I can take payment via check, card, Paypal or Venmo. If you have a group of 3 or more, I can offer a discounted rate.

Supporting families during this critical and emotional time in their lives is such important work that I do not take lightly! I decided to call my practice The Baby’s Voice because I truly believe that our babies are using their “voice” to tell us what they need. Having the support to help you find their voice is what I am here for! And what they need is you, mama! Your touch, voice, smell and the taste of your breastmilk is all they want and need. I promise to provide support in a compassionate, judgment-free way to meet you where you are and help you meet your breastfeeding or nutrition goals.

What is your favorite part about your job?

I love being able to go into a mother’s home and meet her where she is doing most of her mothering. This gives me the best insight on what she may need to be best supported. Being surrounded by new babies and mamas is pretty special work.

What is one thing people might not guess about you if they had never met you before?

My husband and I packed up our life with no job and no place to live and moved to New York City to live out our dreams there! It was magical!

____________________________________________ I promise that if you are able to come to this class, you will learn so much and grow to better understand how to support breastfeeding families! Bonnie does an outstanding job of covering the serious breadth of issues for human lactation and in a way that is completely accessible. She does a great job of bridging the academic and casual language that is truly necessary to understand this sometimes complex issue. She’ll also make you laugh and probably challenge your thinking a bit too. I am really looking forward to this training and I hope you will join me there!

Learning Opportunities!

Greetings and salutations! I am so excited about some upcoming learning opportunities for families and professionals too!

On May 4th from 9am-noon you can come learn all about Coping with Labor Naturally in this fun class. We’ll laugh and have fun, and I promise that there will be snacks too! This is the 2nd time I’m teaching this class, and this time I am going to make sure to build in more time for ask the doula questions! I still have some spots available for interested expecting families, so email me today if you are interested to reserve your spot for this class packed with practical tips for dealing with contractions.

On Saturday May 11th, you can head over to the beautiful space of Studio 3 in Henderson, KY where I will be speaking in a special class for expecting parents! I’ll be focusing my short time on answering these questions: What does a doula actually do? What is the difference between standard and evidence-based care? What are the top 3 natural ways to cope with labor? What are 3 ways a peanut ball can help you in labor? Sign up quick, because spots are extremely limited for this exclusive class where you can also learn from other local experts about yoga, chiropractic care, and essential oils for pregnancy and birth!

Are you passionate about breastfeeding and want to learn more to better support those around you, gain some new skills and vocabulary, and maybe start a journey towards becoming a Certified Lactation Educator? Maybe breastfeeding keeps coming up in your job or life and you feel compelled to be better educated about all things lactation. Join me and my friend Bonnie (who will be featured in an upcoming blog post) for this really informative training May 16th-18th.

May is just chock full of learning opportunities! Please contact me if you have any questions about all of the above chances to learn!

Finally, just a quick note to tell you that if you wander over to the services section of my website now, you will find some links to 6 different amazing online classes that are now being offered by Lamaze! Check them out here. I know in-person classes are not everyone’s thing for lots of different reasons, and these classes are going to contain all kinds of excellent evidence-based information about each of the 6 topics: Labor confidence, safe and healthy birth, labor pain management, breastfeeding, bringing baby home, and VBAC. If you purchase the class through those links, I will get a little bit of money for recommending them to you, so don’t do it if you aren’t comfortable with that.

I am a lifelong learner, and I will always be committed to making my classes accessible to as many people as possible. I know I have a bunch of letters after my name, but I promise that I am not as scary as all of those might make me seem! Come learn with me!!

Doula Realities

Photo by Jovis Aloor on Unsplash

Many people dream of helping families as a doula, and I get all kinds of people reaching out to me about what it is actually like to be a doula full-time. I am hosting a DONA approved birth doula training here in Evansville at the very end of February (that you can sign up for here), so these messages are most definitely more frequent right now. I absolutely LOVE my job and wouldn’t want to do anything else, but this is most definitely not the right fit for everyone. I want people to know what they are getting into, and some of the harsher realities of doula life.

Being a birth doula is tough. Yes, it is really rewarding and sometimes exciting and beautiful, but the reality of it can be really hard. Being on call can be rough, especially needing childcare at any moment (if you have kids) and having to drop your life to go help someone else. All of your plans end in, “as long as I’m not at a birth” and you have to plan your time out so carefully if you want to leave town, not to mention have a really great back-up doula to cover your clients just in case someone goes into labor unexpectedly. Not planning your calendar in advance or paying attention to when potential clients are due before they hire you means that you could be on call for 6 months straight, and that is NOT easy or fun.

Being on call can be one of the hardest parts of the job; I’ve even heard doulas say that they would attend births for free but really want to be paid for the trouble of being on call for possibly 4 weeks straight. Being on-call means that I have a client who is within their due window (38-42 weeks pregnant), and that I can’t do some things like leave town or drink alcohol. When I am on-call I have to have my doula bag ready. I have my doula clothes in a neat pile waiting for the call to come join my clients. I can’t go to bed without making sure my phone is turned up and ready, and I can’t be far from my phone at all ever really. It is impossible to predict when someone will go into labor, believe me that if I could, I would be a VERY rich person. If you want a completely predictable work schedule, then you should not be a birth doula.

I think the biggest mistake people make is treating doula work like it isn’t a job. It is a definite job and if you want to be successful at it, you have got to work at it like any good business owner! This means networking, marketing, accounting, legal paperwork, records, etc. If you want to do doula work as a hobby and aren’t looking to own a business, that is ok too. About half the people who take the birth doula training don’t even really want to run their own business or be a professional doula. Whether you are running your own doula business or just helping friends, if you are calling yourself a doula, you have GOT to be professional. That means working within the doula scope of practice and not causing a ruckus at the hospital because of unprofessional behavior. Your professional behavior reflects on all doulas, especially at the local level. I know that Robin will be covering all of this in the training here, so come learn!

I do not tell you all of the above to scare you, rather because I want everyone considering becoming a doula to really understand what they are getting into for their future. A great doula is an organized planner who is resourceful and empathetic with a good support system. Take a look in the mirror and really contemplate if this is the right path for you. If none of the above things have scared you away from wanting to do doula work, then you should definitely sign up for the upcoming training in Evansville. This is only the 2^nd time Evansville has ever had a doula training located here, and we probably won’t have another one until 2020! Being a doula is one of the most rewarding and amazing jobs I could have ever dreamed of doing, and I sincerely love it with all my heart. I also sincerely believe that this area needs more doulas! Could that be you?

10 Doula & Life Lessons from 2018

Photo by Nick Scheerbart on Unsplash

As a doula, I get to see all kinds of new beginnings, and the New Year brings all kind of reflection on those beginnings and the ones to come too. I keep statistics for my business about how many births I attended and other things, but I feel like I’m far too Midwestern in my bones to brag about how many families I helped last year. The only number I did actually get excited about was when I got to attend my 100^th birth as a doula this year. That was really special, and is a pretty big marker for doula experience. I have learned so very much in all these births, and I’m planning to keep writing about all these amazing beginnings that I get to be a part of as a doula. For now, I want to start the year by reflecting on some lessons that I learned in 2018, in no particular order other than how they come to settle on my mind.

You don’t always know what the most important part about your birth experience is to you until you are in the moment. Planning is great, but so is being flexible and listening to yourself about what your top priorities are for your birth. These can be informed by your experiences, your knowledge, and yes, your gut too!
Every birth is different and every baby is different. Just because this is your 2^nd or 3^rd (or more) baby, does NOT mean that your delivery will be the same as before or that your baby is going to be the same as your others. It doesn’t even mean that you will deliver around the same time.
The quiet laborers always surprise me. Making noise is not how everyone communicates, so pay attention to other communication styles too!
Clear communication is IMPERATIVE, as is the tone and mode of delivery. This works quite well for all parts of my life actually
Sometimes partners need just as much support as the one having the baby. Special shout-out to the partner that had me hug him multiple times in the hospital room because it comforted him. You sir, are great at asking for what you need, and I hope you teach your daughter to do the same!
Nitrous can be REALLY a great tool for labor, especially if you are properly informed about what to expect with it. 35% of our clients in 2018 found Nitrous to be helpful during their labor and delivery! I am sooo happy to have this option at both Evansville hospitals now!
Location and what is going on there can make a HUGE difference for labor and delivery! I attended births at 6 different locations this past year, and each of them had their benefits and drawbacks. The right location for you, is where you will feel supported and safe.
There is no one right answer for everyone in labor and delivery, and it is my job to fit the mold that is required for each individual client in the moment that it is happening. I will continue to make ZERO judgements about choices that clients make for their own labor and delivery for this exact reason!
I wish more people knew about postpartum doula help, for anyone recovering from a cesarean birth especially. I have seen the difference it can make physically, mentally, and emotionally. Recovery from birth is much easier with a village to help you, and postpartum doulas are an excellent supplemental help for when your village can’t be there OR if you would prefer to not ask your mother-in-law to please do the dishes in the sink instead of just sitting there holding the new baby.
Respect is hard to earn and disappears easily. This applies to so many situations this past year that I encountered as a doula, and also to life in general. I know that I will continue to try to be deserving of the respect of all those I work with professionally and all those I meet personally too!

I love this time of year for new beginnings, and 2019 plans are looking really exciting for me professionally and personally right now. I am going to teach a 3 hour class about how to cope with labor naturally on February 9^th, 2019. Email me if you are interested in joining the class! I am hosting a birth doula training with the fabulous Robin Elise Weiss 2/28/19-3/2/19 to hopefully expand the doula population in Evansville. I am presenting at the Evidence Based Birth Conference in September, so that will be a great time for networking and learning more to benefit my practice as a doula and childbirth educator. The 2019 calendar is already getting booked up with doula clients too, so do be sure to contact me early if you’d like me to be your doula. 2019 is going to be full of possibilities and connections, and I can’t wait!!!

What lessons did you learn in 2018 that you will take forward with you into 2019?

Upcoming Class: Coping with Labor Naturally

Would you like to have a natural labor, but are worried about how you will cope with contractions? Would you like to learn some comfort techniques for labor that don’t involve medication? Are you curious what this whole natural birth thing is about? Have you been told you can’t have an epidural for any reason? Is your goal to prolong getting an epidural until active labor and you are looking for ways to help you get through until then? Have you done this before and are just looking for a refresher or for techniques to add to your repertoire? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, this is the class for you! This class is ideal to take during your third trimester,but is helpful no matter how many weeks you are. Whether you are birthing in the hospital or at home, this class will teach you the essentials of what you will need to manage labor one contraction at a time. This 3 hour class will start with an overview of what to expect in labor and delivery. We will practice different comfort techniques and discuss strategies for coping with labor and delivery naturally. Topics to be covered include: relaxation,massage, movement, positions, tools, and much more. You don’t want to miss this essential class!

You can check out the event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/782455672100786/

Email doulagroupofevansville@gmail.com to reserve your spot for February 9th 9am-noon at Innovation Pointe.

Cost is $30/couple

About the instructor: Hillary Melchiors is a DONA certified birth doula and Lamaze certified childbirth educator who has been practicing in Evansville for more than four years. She has attended over 100 births as a doula, and loves to share her knowledge and skills with expecting families.

4 Differences between a Doula & a Labor and Delivery Nurse

A great nurse is an integral part of your birthing team! Labor and delivery nurses are mostly very passionate about their jobs helping bring babies into the world as well. An amazing nurse can make a huge difference to your experience too. Many people mistakenly believe that because they will have a nurse, they don’t need a doula as well. As this great graphic from Lamaze illustrates, a nurse cannot give you constant support.

Continuous labor support has been shown to have measurable benefits for birthing parents, and that is the kind of support that a doula provides. Of course there are obvious differences such as education, but there are plenty of other ways that doulas and nurses differ. Here is our list of differences between doulas and labor and delivery nurses:

1. Luck of the draw vs. picking them out yourself

99% of births in the United States take place in a hospital, which means that 99% of births are attended by at least one labor and delivery nurse (typically more than 1). We have worked with some amazingly supportive nurses, and some not so supportive ones as well. Which nurse is available when you walk in the hospital is one of the determining factors in who will provide nursing care for you during your labor and delivery, which means that who your nurse will be is partially determined by the luck of the draw.

By contrast, doulas attend around 3% of births nationally. If you would like to hire a doula to attend your birth, the process starts during your pregnancy. You may interview as many doulas as you would like to find one that you click with and trust to help you on the big day. You get to choose!

2. Works for the hospital vs. works for you

Who they work for is a fundamental difference between a nurse and a doula. Nurses work for the hospital, and as such, are constrained by hospital policy and procedures. Doulas work for their clients. This is not to say that doulas are not bound by a code of ethics and scope of practice, rather to emphasize that a doula’s responsibility is to their clients. Period. We do not answer to the hospital, as they are not our employer.

3. Medical Support vs. Physical & Emotional Support

Good nurses are fantastic at juggling the mountain of things that they have to do during a labor and delivery. Doulas get to focus just on you. Nurses are great at suggesting medical support (and sometimes more), for during your labor and delivery; while a doula will offer physical and emotional support. What does that look like? While a nurse might suggest IV pain medication for early labor pain, a doula will massage you and talk to you about your wishes for how to proceed. A nurse will check your blood pressure and cervix, while a doula will help you move into position changes and monitor you for emotional signposts to see where you are at in labor. Of course there are plenty of nurses that help with position changes, but they don’t always have time to do hip squeezes or counter pressure for hours because of their medical obligations.

4. Explains routine procedures vs. helps you avoid unnecessary routine procedures

Nurses will tell you all about any routine procedures that are going to take place in the hospital, which is part of the informed consent process. A doula will help you ask questions about those procedures so that you can make an informed decision about them. Also, a doula might talk to you about other options that are available to you in the hospital that are outside of routine procedures. A great example is electronic fetal monitoring. Hospitals typically like to have continuous electronic fetal monitoring, while evidence has shown that intermittent monitoring is perfectly safe in most cases. Continuous monitoring leads to a higher risk in cesarean section and restricts movement. A nurse might not be able to suggest intermittent monitoring, but a doula can suggest that you ask for it.

In conclusion, let me say that we LOVE so many labor and delivery nurses, and many of them love us right back. The best birth team is a team that works TOGETHER, and we LOVE working with fantastic nurses. We understand the constraints of their job, and many of them understand that we really do make their job easier on occasion. Doulas and nurses have distinct roles on the birth team, each one of us contributing differently and importantly to the process. It is not fair to expect your nurse to be able to give you all of the support you need for labor and delivery, just the same as it is not fair to ask a doula to perform medical tasks there. Both roles contribute to better birthing experiences for families inside of the hospital!

What other differences do you see between nurses and doulas?