FAQ's on Labor & Birth Doulas | Erie & Meadville PA's Only Doula Agency
So you're thinking about hiring a birth doula.
We rounded up the questions we get asked most frequently about this service to help you decide if hiring a doula is the best choice for your family!
What about my partner?
Our birth doulas never replace your partner or other support people you can connect with. We work to enhance their experience by gently guiding them in ways to support you. We find that partners are satisfied with having a doula because they feel like they used effective techniques that actually helped. They report feeling more useful and more comfortable during the birthing process. One of our main goals is to establish healthy bonds within the entire family. Bonding during labor with your partner is one of the bonds we want to help nurture in every way possible.
I'm giving birth with a midwife or OBGYN... and my nurses will be there!
The difference between and doula and these people is their number one concern is the health and safety of you and your baby, medically. While they do offer emotional and physical support sometimes, the main goal is your medical well being. Doulas care about your safety too which is why we leave the medical decisions up to your care provider. What our doulas focus on is the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical well being of the mother and family. We want to support you so that if things don't go how you anticipated, you still feel empowered and positive about your birth experience. Nurses are very busy with charting and communicating with your OB/Midwife. In short, we love OB's, Midwives and Nurses but we definitely have different roles!
I want an epidural... Do you support that?
Of course! We support every type of birth, including births where parents choose to use pain medications. We can still use relaxation techniques, positioning, emotional support and physical measures to keep you comfortable and on a great path to birthing your baby. 25% of women find that epidurals and other pain relief options do not help. In this case, we're right there as a safety net to get you through labor, pushing and finally meeting your baby!
I'm going to have a planned cesarean birth.
Amazing!! Our doulas can help you to feel calm, confident and empowered about your birth. We can go over the many options of surgical births and how we can make the experience the best possible for you and your family. During pre-op, we can keep you calm, massaging your feet or helping you stay comfortable. We are also great at keeping partners calm, centered and informed about what is happening. We assist often during the postpartum period, helping with establishing breastfeeding or bottle feeding, skin to skin and more.
Are doulas hippies?
While some of us love essential oils or home births or long skirts, we strive for professionalism when we support our clients. You can expect us to show up clean, well dressed and excited to support you through whatever you need. Nonjudgemental support means that we know every family is very unique and their needs and wants are too. You may hate essential oils and thats completely fine by us!