Western Colorado Doulas

Q: What is a labor coach, or doula, and should I consider hiring one?
A:  One of the frustrating things about birth is that it's impossible to predict or control the circumstances surrounding it! What will labor really feel like?  Will you know when it starts?  Will you have a swift delivery or a long, drawn-out labor?  How will your husband or partner hold up under the pressure?  Will you have a labor & delivery nurse you connect with, and will she have time for you or be working with other mothers as well? 

Facing these types of concerns, many women find enormous reassurance in seeking out a private labor coach, or doula, to assist with the delivery.  Evidence-based research shows that women attended by doulas have shorter labors, fewer labor complications, and fewer problems with newborns.  It is believed that these women produce lower levels of stress hormones than women left alone in labor or attended by inexperienced coaches.

If you are thinking about hiring a doula, but haven't decided if it is worth it yet, here are some things to consider: 

• A doula can help make the experience less stressful and more satisfying.
• If you and your husband or partner would like to be attended continuously by one person, a doula is ideal.  The nurses come and go according to shifts and often have more than one family in their care.
• The doula is your advocate with the nursing staff.  She will work with the medical team cooperatively to help make your experience a positive and fulfilling one.
• Your doula will not make judgments about you depending on your birth choices.  Instead she will help you to understand your options so that you can make informed decisions.
• With doula support you can labor with an epidural or completely unmedicated, with a variety of options in between.  Our doulas have varied birth experience and want the birth family to feel empowered during this amazing time of their lives.
  
• Your doula is someone you've been meeting with prior to the birth, someone you have grown close to and feel comfortable with.  She is there for you.
  

Q: What are the benefits of using a doula?
A: Documented studies show that having a trained & certified doula at your birth has many benefits. Some of them are...

• Decreased length of labor!


• Decreased risk of Cesareans!


• Fewer requests for pain medications & epidural anesthesia!


• Decreased use of pitocin!


• Decreased use of forceps!


• Greater birth satisfaction!

• Increased length of breastfeeding!


• Increased parent/baby bonding!


• Increased partner participation with greater confidence!

Q: Does the doula take the place of the father?
A: No!  A doula does not replace the father! The father provides a unique support to the mother that no one else can, including the doula.  We often hear the newly delivered mom express a newfound gratitude to her husband or partner, telling him she couldn't have done it without him.  Doulas can facilitate the bonding of women and their partners during the special event of labor and birth by supporting the father as well as the mother. The presence of a doula often allows the partner to relax and participate at a level he is most comfortable with. Penny Simkin (a founding mother of Doulas of North America) says "While the doula probably knows more than the partner about birth, hospitals and maternity care, the partner knows more about the woman's personality, likes, dislikes and needs. Moreover, he loves the woman more than anyone else there. The combined combination of partner and doula, along with a competent, considerate and caring staff gives the woman the best chance of an optimal outcome."


Q:  So how do we get started?
A: The first thing you need to do to get started is to decide who you want to hire!  So go to the Meet The Doulas page and look through the doulas' descriptions.  Decide which one(s) seem to have the best "fit" to meet your needs.  Contact by email or by phone (information found on Contact Us page) as many doulas as you desire to set up free interviews with.  This is where you can ask her about her training, experience, philosophy of birth, etc.  Make sure you and your husband or partner feel comfortable with her.  From that point you will meet to discuss your birth preferences, practice relaxation methods and comfort measures, and fine tune your "birth plan".  Your doula can also attend a prenatal visit with you to meet with your care provider.  She will then be on-call 24 hours a day, available to you by phone and email, awaiting your labor to begin.

If you have additional questions, go to the Pre-Interview page Click Here and submit your questions/comments by email.