Seeking Advice on Doulas

I know where you are coming from! I had an epidural when I was dilated at 10 with my first birth, which resulted in 3.5 hours of pushing and just narrowly escaped a C-section. The recovery was tough. With my second I wanted more choices. I too, loved my doctor and the hospital but felt that they really pushed medicated births at any cost. It felt like the moment I checked in, i became a patient and wasn't really in charge of my own birth experience. I really wanted to try and have a natural birth but was afraid I'd give in to the epidural in the heat of the moment. At the advice of friends, I hired a Doula and I can say without doubt, had she not been there I would have gotten an epidural for sure. I did it naturally and was SO PROUD of myself. All in all, it was just a better experience. The job of the nurses at the hospital is to make sure you are comfortable, so of course they want to push drugs on you while you are in pain. Not sure what area you live in, but if you want to contact me, I can email you some references. We paid $600 which seemed to be about the going rate, but I've heard you can get someone who is in training or with less experience and they might do it for less. I'll send you a private note with my email address.
Good Luck!

Hi J.. For my last child who's 7 now, I chose to have her at home. We were living in another state and had no insurance, so we decided that since my sons birth, and not needing any pain med, we prayed and went for it. I had a doc and a midwife at my home. It was hard, but really nice after I delivered, nobody was there to bug me! I would recommend it, if you can handle the pain, and have had no complications during your pregnancy..
Good luck and God bless.
M.

Depending on where you live there aren't many choices for Doula's. I recomend a hospital with a bath tub so you can get in it while in labor. I progressed from 5-9cm in an hour this way. Very comfortable, no drugs needed, my husband just pointed the hand held shower nozzle on my lower back or wherever I needed it depending on the contraction. You can do it! I also believe in prenatal yoga and pilates, the stretches REALLY helped. I had my 8'14 son in less than 5 horus.

I am not sure if it woudl be in her range (I gave birth in West Hills Hospital), but our doula, Michelle Wapner, was great. Very knowledgable, supportive and positive. She also teaches baby classes at the West Hills Women's Resource Center. I don't have her contact info with me at the moment, but I am sure if you call the Resource Center ###-###-####), they can give you her info.
T. Houston

I hired a great pair of Doulas - I wanted to birth in the hospital, but also wanted it as natural as possible. They live up here in Santa Barbara though. I am pretty sure they should be registered thru Dona, and should be a website on the internet listing in your area. You can interview a few, and they can stand up for your rights while you are laboring in the hospital. That is what I did, and it was GREAT! You can get someone in training, they would be less expensive. I think I paid $750 for full services for my two girls. That included two meetings prior to birth, the birth itself - they were on call- and a meeting after the birth. It also included phone calls for advice. It was great to be well educated on natural birth thru them, and they were so helpful. I would highly recommend finding a doula that will suit your needs. It will make the birth a wonderful experience.
Also - If you can find a birthing class that educates on natural birth, that could steer you in the right direction for doulas...
Good luck!
L.

Cheers J.!
As a Certified Childbirth Educator (over 30 years) and Labor Doula, I highly recommend using a labor doula to help ensure you attain your desired birth experience. Although there's no guarantee you won't be offered another epidural (or other medical intervention)...still, your doula will be able to help you keep to your "birth preferences" unless it's absolutely necessary to waiver. I always spend lots of time with my clients determining what their wishes are and then do my best to help them achieve their "blue ribbon birth experience"!
If you'd like to contact me, I am at ____@____.com
I also offer review classes for folks who've recently had other children.
With loving healthy hugs,
B. P., AAHCC; CCE; Labor Doula

I had both of my children without medication (although I was never opposed to medication). I highly recommend giving it your very best effort. I found that the challenge was more mental than physical. I didn't have a doula, but I had my mom with me who delivered all four of her children without meds. Quite honestly, though, I depending mostly on myself during the process. It was wonderful to have the support, but it was a mental race with myself, similar to any other physical challenge, like running a marathon (which I've never done:) or like doing that last set of lunges when your hamstrings are burning like crazy! I suggest a nice warm shower during labor and sitting on a large exercise ball to relieve pressure.
Also, write up a birth plan before you go into labor and give it to your nurses when you get to the hospital. It should have detailed instructions about your preferences on medication, how many people should be in the room, testing done to the baby after he/she is born. I even made sure the lights were turned off in my room to create a more relaxed environment:) Best wishes!

a doula can DEFINITELY help advocate for you in a hospital setting when you're in a situation where you might be more vulnerable to change your mind regarding medication. you can check the ALACE site to find doulas in training in your area that would be willing to attend your birth for a nominal fee or even free since they need births to achieve certification. good luck!

Hey congratulations first off on your pregnancy! I am still figuring this mamasource out lol but if your in Hawaii, I have the name of the best doula on the island. Her name is Patti Edwards. I did the whole Bradley method as well and loved every minute of it. I was in labor for 4 days an my labor wasnt progressing. My instructor told me my body was physically exhausted so I finally took the epidural an slept for 2 hours. In those 2 hours, I dilated more than I did from the past 4 days! I was pretty upset, but relieved at the same time. My advice, realize things may not always go as planned. With that out of the way, I also used the AquaDoula and Patti set it up for me. I didn't know she was a doula at the time but she came to check on me every single day. She wasn't even my doula, all she did was set up the pool in my room but still she made the effort to come see me everyday. She gave me a flower that helped me hold out as long as I did. And I still have the flower today pressed in a book.
She was so inspirational, confident, and extremely helpful. And again, she was not even my doula. So I give her major kudos, she really is a strong woman. She is on dona.com so she is recognized as a doula. If you would like I could give you her email addy just let me know. She charges 400 an that includes several meetings, the labor/delivery support, an 2 postpartum meetings. She is truly an amazing woman.

Dear J.,
The Bradley method is exceptional, I would suggest a midwife.
Some midwives work with doctors, so your ob/gyn might know. Some hospitals have their own midwives on staff. If you have a Bradley teacher, they should be able to give you a few names.
Ask questions and don't give up!

Hi J.,
I am a postpartum doula and belong to a non-profit org here in So Cal. The website is dascdoulas.org and you might find a newer doula that doesn't charge as much. In exchange for an evaluation, you may receive a pretty hefty discount.

Also, make sure to view the wonderful documentary by Ricky Lake titled The Business of Being Born. It will be out on DVD through Netflix at the end of February.

Kind regards,
M.

Hi J.,

Congratulations!

I had a doula for my second child. My first was a C-section and I felt, to some extent, as you did. Even though the nurses were supportive, they were very busy and just didn't have the time to spend with every laboring mom. The doula really helped because she could give my husband a break now and then, suggest alternative positions, and help decide when it was time for me to head to the hospital.

Now, the flip side. I had a very difficult and prolonged labor (8 days). By about the 6th day, the doula gave up and basically told us to call her after I'd delivered! When you interview, I would suggest you talk to the doula about how much time she is willing to dedicate to you for the negotiated fee, and what you will pay her in the rare case that something unusual happens and labor takes much longer than expected. Find out what support she will offer after the baby is born, too. (Some of the doulas in Santa Cruz offered new mother support for an additional fee).

Will she help you learn how to nurse? If not, contact your local Nursing Mothers Council -- don't rely on the maternity nursing staff. BTW, it is well worth contacting the NMC anyway, as they can help you with everything, such as sore nipples, dealing with difficult nursers, how to use and choose a breast pump, and even how to get your baby to take a bottle if you need to return to work or so your husband can enjoy feeding the baby. They can also be very supportive during the weaning process.

BTW, kudos to you for staying home! I was able to stay home for 10 years before I had to go back to work (my husband went back to school, and someone had to support the family!) I was so glad I could be there for my kids whenever they needed me -- at home, in the classroom, at sports, girl scouts, boy scouts, whatever. I could offer them opportunities I wouldn't have had the energy for if I'd been working. Enjoy!

Hi J.,
I think hiring a doula can make all the difference in the world to help you get the birth you want! If you want to contact me I can give you a list of several doulas in your area and can even help you find a newer doula who may charge less. ____@____.com
~D.

I am not familiar with the Bradley method (though i've heard of it). I went the Hypno-Birthing rout and it really prepared me and helped me as well. I debated hiring a doula - but opted for a midwife who was familiar with what method i was trained in and with ALL of my preferences. I asked her a million questions, a million 'what if' questions and had her read my birthing plan. It wasn't about absolute control for me, i knew things could always change and plans can go out the window, but what i wanted them to understand was my need to be (as our president would say) a decider in my laboring process. What also helped is being in a small hospital (where there was NO shortage of nurses). I didn't even have a doctor (though he was on call) - it was just me, midwife, a nurse and my husby. I would say that having a baby naturally is more about your mental state, then anything else. Your body is made for this and knows what to do better then you. It helped me to be in warm water for most of my labor and i think i would love to deliver my second baby in water (the hospital wasn't equipped with a tub). It alleviated gravity and helped sooth me.
Listen to your instinctive Self, eliminate negative stories, focus on your strength and power as a woman and get a good support system around you (even if they are not doulas).