When a Doula and de-brief work magic!
09/01/2009 15:41

I have been a Midwife for over 30yrs and I love what I do! In all my time working with women, it is obvious the value of having a doula with you at the birth as well as making sure you de-brief after your birth.

What is a Doula?

A Doula is a support person that is not usually (though I am) a midwife or medical professional.  "A doula is a professional trained in childbirth who provides emotional, physical and informational support to the woman who is expecting, in labor or has recently given birth. The doula's role is to help women have a safe, memorable and empowering birthing experience." says the American Pregnancy Association

Across the world Doula's are well know but in Australia the role of a Doula is relatively new in comparison. This vital profession is having a surge in popularity here due to the many benefits -  
• Continuity of support during pregnancy, labour & birth
• Less need for medical intervention which means lowering costs & increasing the natural birth rate.
• Women feel more positive about their birthing experience
• Support for Dad during the labour, which means he can support you
• Advocate for you during labour and birth

The last birth I supported was amazing!  Nicole had a previous birthing experience which was long, she had been transferred out of a Birth Centre into Delivery Suite, and then went on to have a lot of medical intervention.  She did not want this to happen again.  Both she and her partner had a lot of fears.  We worked together during the pregnancy to ‘let go’ of her previous experience. It is so important to de-brief after your birth and in particular make sure that you talk through your previous experience before your next birth. Women tend to think they just should deal with it but they don’t realise that by holding on to the problems they experienced, those fears will transfer to following labours. It is so important to talk with your midwife, obstetrician or find a professional who can help you talk through what went right, what you were not happy about, how you felt and what you want to happen next time.

This birth was also very long, but she had no fears, and I was able to help her relax, stay positive and focus.  Having a doula present enabled her partner to feel reassured and relieved of the responsibility so he could be there to simply support her and enjoy the birth along with her.  Nicole is in awe of her ability, as every woman should be.  She says because of the support of a trained doula, this empowered her to believe she could do what she always wanted – birth her baby, without interference, and in her own way. 

Nicole had a water birth and this is indeed a beautiful way to birth your baby. I will bring you a full water birth story among many other wonderful birth tips and information in my coming blogs.

Susan Ross is a midwife of 35 years, founder of Birth Right, Author, Doula and Mother. She can support you in any questions you might have about anything to do with pregnancy, early childhood education, lactation, labour or parenting, so feel free to ‘ask the expert’ through our website. If you would like to know more about de-briefing after birth or in finding a Doula that is right for you contact Susan through our ask the expert and she will come back to you with contact details and further information or why not hop onto our forum and read other people's experiences and ask questions of our own community.