Empowering Partners: How Doulas Enhance the Birth Experience for Both Parents
Picture this: The person you care about most in the world invites you to attend the birth of her child. Not only are you to be in attendance, but you are her primary support person. What an honor, right?
Absolutely right. Birth is a sacred, vulnurable space. Perhaps the most vulnerable experience this person will ever have. If she wants you in her birth room, she must really trust you and you must be incredibly important to her.
When the day finally comes and her contractions begin, becoming more regular and intense as the hours pass, how do you think you’ll feel?
You will probably be excited and full of anticipation, especially if you are the parent or grandparent of this baby. You are about to meet this little soul you have been waiting on for so long!
But along with that excitement, you might have a lot of other feelings surfacing.
You may feel taken off gaurd when you realize that your healthcare providers are spending much less time in the room with you than you expected and that, for the most part, you are on your own to offer physical and emotional support during this labor.
You may feel scared as her labor gets more intense and she seems to be suffering - making loud sounds, tensing up, or writhing in pain with each contraction.
You may feel unsure of how to help, or want to be reassured that everything is normal, or become exhausted as the hours pass and you are her sole supporter through each contraction.
Now imagine yourself in the same situation, but with a dedicated birth doula on your team. She stays with you and the mother throughout the labor experience (or as much of it as you choose), offering professional and attentive support to both you and the mother. She takes a turn providing counterpressure so you can rest, and encourages you to eat and drink to keep up your energy. She reassures you that the mother’s behavior is within the realm of normal and offers ideas to help her cope and keep her from suffering.
The outcome? You and the mother both have a more positive experience with labor and delivery, and you get to be the hero for supporting her so effectively throughout the process. Way to go, birth partner!
