Bumpmag March online article excerpt

 A mother’s best friend

 

What is a doula? Why would you need one if you already have your midwife, partner and doctor in the labour room with you? Are they just for wimps???

 

If you’ve ever wondered about doulas and the purpose they serve, then here is the place to find out. A little known profession until recently, doulas are slowly becoming more popular in Australia and Renee Adair, director of the Australian Doula College in Sydney’s Petersham believes it is not before time.

And so…this is where doulas come in. Originally a Greek word meaning ‘servant’, a doula is basically someone who supports a pregnant woman through her labour and sometimes beyond. She may visit the mum-to-be several times during her pregnancy, attend her during the birth of her baby/ies and continue as a post-partum support…sometimes for up to a year!

A doula is not medically trained and her qualifications might range from zero up to the 20-week course offered by the Australian Doula College. So what kind of woman would hire a doula?  

 

Well, for women keen on a natural birth, a doula can be a real asset. Statistics show that women cared for during labor by a birth doula were 26% less likely to have caesarean sections than those receiving ‘usual care’; 41%  less likely to give birth with a vacuum extractor or forceps; 28% less likely to use drugs such as analgesic or anaesthesia; and 33% less likely to be dissatisfied or negatively rate their birth experience. The statistics speak for themselves but what if you feel your husband is sufficient support?

 

Your husband/partner is probably the person who knows you best and he may be brilliant support but even the most capable man is not beyond feeling fear during birth, which is after all, a uniquely female experience. A doula does not seek to replace the partner, rather – she joins the ‘team effort’.

And if your labour goes for 24 hours or beyond, a doula is committed to being by your side the whole time. As Renee Adair says, a doula will allow your man to have ‘guilt-free breaks’ where his hand is not being squeezed into pulp during contractions. Doulas are usually (although not always) mums themselves and can be relied upon to understand what you are going through and to not be squeamish about womanly matters.

 

“It’s like having one of your best girlfriends there supporting you, except without the emotional attachment,” says Renee. “Often women find that close family members and friends are ‘hooked in’ to the labouring woman and can find it difficult to support her without the emotional attachment. They can sometimes do more harm than good.”

Doulas are invariably caring but they remain professionals who also offer continuity of care in a medical system where you might see a different midwife for every pre-natal visit, go through several midwives during your labour and – if your obstetrician is unavoidably absent – even have a stranger deliver your baby.

And if you should need a caesarean – either emergency or planned – a doula is often a handy extra pair of hands not only to support emotionally during what can sometimes be an unsettling experience, but to take pictures or a video!

 

The Australian Doula College had its official opening in November last year and aims to provide a total pre-natal experience for expecting women. With 50 doulas Sydney-wide on their books, they also have doulas around Australia and natural health practitioners on site including acupuncturist, massage therapist, herbalist, naturopath and aromatherapist.

Director Renee Adair still regularly attends births as a doula and is the best possible spokesperson for the profession – having had not one but TWO doulas at each of her children’s births.

“For years, I was going along to people’s births as a childbirth support person. I didn’t charge because doula was not a profession,” she says. “Only in the last six years or so has our role been recognised and we have become a profession.”

There is no typical woman who uses a doula but Renee finds they are popular with nervous, first-time mums as well as second or third timers who perhaps were unhappy with their previous birth experience(s).

As she says, “midwives are there primarily to watch the baby. We doulas are there to mother the mother during labour and birth.”

 

A typical doula package from the College might include three pre-birth visits, the birth itself and two post-birth follow-ups. This could cost anywhere from $195 for a trainee doula to $1500 for the most qualified and experienced doulas. The College would now like to see Medicare and private health insurers recognise the services of doulas and offer rebates for those who use them.