Doula

Yes, I had a labor doula for my first. I had a LONG labor and she stayed with me throughout. She helped me focus on breathing. She definitely helped me avoid any complications.

I second Delilah. I used her for childbirth prep class before the birth of my second daughter. She was not there for my birth, but what I learned from her was invaluable in me having a non medicated birth.

The idea that a doctor would refuse to let you have a doula woudl make me run out the door screaming as fast as I could. Why woudl you not want one of yoru patients to have care, support, advocacy, comfort etc. There is something wrong with that doctor.
Doulas are amazing and sometimes essential to a natural birth if that is what you desire. They are there to help you follow your birth plan when you can't think or speak clearly for yourself (while you are concentrating on your labor)they are there to give you comfort and support, to give your labor partner/husband a break, to even help you process the events surrounding your birth after the fact. I would strongly urge you to interview a few and see what they have to offer you. It would be the best money you ever spent- if you find the right one. Like with anything else you will find good doulas and "not so good" doulas. If you would like me to recommend some that I personally know and how they work please message me and I will pass their info along. or you can call me ###-###-####. There are also some who advertise on mamasource.

I have a good friend who is also a wonderful, knowledgeable, gentle and kind doula in this area. Here is her info:

Kathaleen May CD(DONA) Scentsable Doula Birth Services-http://www.local.com/details/67687727/Haltom-City-TX/Scen...
Young Living Essential ____@____.com

She knows about essential oil therapies, muscle testing, herbal support, and massage. I highly recommend her!

Delilah is a doula that also teaches natural childbirth classes. I did not use her for a doula, but really enjoyed her class. She mainly focuses on natural childbirth, but also educates you on all the other options so you can make an informed decision. She teaches your birth partner about how to take care of the needs for the laboring mom. She also teaches you about postpartum & breastfeeding. I felt much more confident & relaxed after attending her class in 2007. I had 2 great home birth experiences since then.

I think she would be a great doula to have attend a birth. She has attended many births in home settings, birth centers and hospitals. This is her website: http://www.cherishbirth.com/

I have a friend who is a doula, I can give you her info.

I had a doula, and I would highly recommend hiring one. She massaged my feet with nice oils, she got lots of pillows and propped me up in comfortable positions, and she was attentive and tended to me in a way my husband never would have.

My doula was Nadine Romain, and she was just great.

I just read the post below that a doctor would not take a patient if she was using a doula. WOW! I would walk right out the door and find another doctor. The researc is so clear on the benefits of using a doula and other support systems (massage therapist, midwife, etc). I had a prenatal massage therapist througout my pregnancy -- she even attended my birth. She helped massage my back during labor and acted as an "amature" doula (she was not certified,but she provided support and encouragement). I believe she was invaluable to my birth experience! Her name is Jennifer Windle and her phone number is ###-###-####. She has a practice in Denton and her pricing is VERY fair. I gave birth at Inanna Women's Center (in Denton). I did not decide to go the midwife route until 36 weeks, but I believe it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The midwives were so encouraging . . . the model of care was superior to my obgyn experience (I liked my obgyn, but she just could not provide me with the emotional and intellectual support of a midwife or the guarantee of who would deliver my baby). For example, my midwife appointments lasted anywhere from 30-45 min. (of talking time with my midwife), whereas the avg. obgyn talking time was 5-10 minutes. If I had a high risk pregnancy or knew I wanted surgery (C-Section), I would go to an OBGYN for sure (that is what they are good at), but if I wanted a normal birth experience, I would go to a midwife EVERY time! I just can not speak highly enough about this approach to child birth.

Good books to read regarding this area are:

"The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth"
and "Birthing From Within"

Good Luck!

R.

My midwife is also a doula. Her name is Tina Rowe Woodall and her website is www.heavenlyhandsrockwall.com (she's in Rockwall, but will travel). I have have massages while pregnant and love them, but the last time I went to someone new & she practically insisted I lay on my stomach. ("That's the only way I know how to do it"...whatever) I wasn't that big so I did, but I prefer the side massages. That might be a question you should ask before booking the appt. They should be certified in pregnancy massages, usually every spa type place has a person that is. Don't know much about infant massages, other than the kind you can do yourself on the baby after baths, etc.

my doctor is a fabulous doctor, but refused the notion of a doula. it was just another person in the room and he likes as few people as possible. it's his medical right to limit that number and it may be your doctor's mentality as well. if it is and you truly want a doula, then you would have to be willing to switch doctors. i wasn't that keen on a doula and had a great birth without one.

I don't know anything about doula's but you might want to check with your doctor. Mine has specifically said that if his patients use one, they will have to find another doctor. I'm not trying to discourage your decision, just wanted to make you aware that there are some doctors out there who do not accept doulas in the birthing room.

an awesome prenatal massage therapist I went to many times in Richardson at the time, Stacey Davidson ###-###-####

Hi K.,

My friend Kelle White is a doula. You can contact her through her website, http://www.lotusyogafw.com/

I have a client who can teach parents infant massage, but her information is not public. If you are interested, please contact me privately.

Finally, I do Thai Yoga bodywork, and it is wonderful for pregnant women. You can visit my website at www.yogapotential.com

Peace and Joy,
M.

I didn't have a doula with mine but I trained my mom to do the job that a doula would do. I am now becoming certified to be a doula. If you have any specific questions or would like to talk about attending your labor, let me know.

K.,
I LOVED having a doula. unfortunately mine is no longer taking clients right now. I found her and several other good ones on http://www.dona.org/ we just interviewed until we found the one that felt like the right fit. please feel free to contact me directly if you want to pick my brain about the experience.
noelle

I am a doula and I have had 2 doulas for my own births for my last 3 babies! I have also been a doula for other doulas, we believe in what we do!

www.mtmbirthing.com is my website if you would like to peek!

K.,

My husband and I hired a Doula to support us with the birth of our first son in April! It was the best money we have spent and would highly recommend, Billie, our Doula, to anyone who is interested in using a Doula. We wanted to have the most natural birth experience possible and was able to accomplish our goal of not using an epidural despite 21 hours of back labor! Our son was so alert when he was born and was able to immediately start breastfeeding!! My birth experience was so wonderful, I am looking forward to having more babies!! I would also recommend massage therapy!!

Pre natal massage saved me during my recent high risk pregnancy. I truly would not have been as successful without it!!! I had one every week, and in the last couple of months I doubled up! I also massage my baby every week or more. I had already been doing it when my doctor recommended it to us. He was very pleased to learn we already were.

They are fabulous! Check with Tara Dawn Pembroke, in Fort Worth. Her landline is ###-###-####. Lives in FW, but is gone for the next week and a half.
Another, Kelle White is a yoga instructor at LotusYoga Studio in FW, at Curzon Corners, right behind the Sunflower Shoppe Natural Foods store. Kelle offers prenatal yoga, birth prep for couples, and Mammaste (post birth yoga and orientation for mother and baby) Great lady, very knowledgeable, and she herself is also a doula. You can google her information.

I highly recommend using a doula! It was the best decision we made. My doula is also a massage therapist that gave wonderful prenatal massages. Her name is Hannah. Here's blog website and on there you can get additional info about her:
http://belliesinbloom.blogspot.com/

I would definately recommend a doula! I had both my kids at home with a midwife and a doula and it was amazing! Painful, yes, but amazing and totally worth it.

Having a doula at the birth of my little girl was one of the best decisions that my hubby and I made. After meeting with a dr who informed us that I would probably end up with a C-sect if I went naturally, I found Gina Phillips, CD. She was an AWESOME doula. My hubby even loved her and recommends getting a doula now to everyone, regardless of where they deliver. Her website is http://connectnaturally.com/index.html and you can also check out www.dona.org which is where I found her. Just interview any doula you are considering and see if it is a good fit.
Through Gina, we found Ann Crowell, our midwife at Gentle Beginnings Birth Center over in Hurst. Their website it http://gentlebeginningsbc.com/
We also used Cindy Haggerton at Lifetime Family Wellness who specialized in chiro needs of pregnant women. Thanks to her, our daughter was positioned correctly for an easy birth that was much shorter than the typical first time labor. They also have lady there by the name of Vicki who does massages for pregnant women. Their website is http://www.family-wellness.com/

I'm not sure where you are located at, but I highly highly recommend getting the doula at least. The chiro really helped with the back pain that I started having at 8 weeks. If I hadn't had that, I'm not sure I would have been able to make it the wholetime! Any or all of the people we used I would highly recommend. We plan on using them again when we decide to go for kiddo #2!