I attended my first birth as a doula last weekend. This past week, it was quite common for me to appear daydreaming and bursting into giggles when talking about this day - the day a mother worked hard to release her child from her womb, the day a beautiful baby girl was born, the day the magnolia tree was in bloom. Though I will leave the full details of this wonderful day to be shared by the mother herself, I will include here what I learned as doula…snippets, snapshots… for that is what I saw…snapshots of a bigger picture of a wonderful family. Enjoy, my friend.
· One of the biggest lessons that I learned at this birth is the necessity to have established a good rapport, communication, and understanding of the couple’s desires prior to the onset of labor. We had some really great prenatal visits and I honestly felt like I was spending the day with some good friends, and one of them just happened to be in labor. I felt there was a perfect blend of professionalism and friendship. I knew what they wanted, we practiced the labor positions ahead of time; so when the time came, we were ready. To me, there was such a natural flow and it began in the prenatal visits. The day was peppered with laughter, productivity, seriousness and good conversation.
· The other important lesson I learned was that in order for a woman to benefit from helpful comfort measures, labor positions and coping strategies, she really needs at least 2 people there to offer continuous support. Regardless of the interventions introduced into a mother’s labor, there are so many helpful pain-relieving techniques, positions geared toward assisting specific situations, and personalized comfort measures that can greatly promote a satisfying labor and birth experience. When a couple chooses me as their doula, I would like to devote at least one of our prenatal visits to focus on, talk about and practice these methods.
· As a doula, it is extremely important to watch and match the mother’s mood. When she wants to talk, then let’s talk and when it is time to get serious, then we get quiet and focused. However, I have also witnessed laughter to be a wonderful and helpful addition to the labor experience. Giggles and laughter were weaved throughout the day, and I saw how it helped as a comfort measure for a laboring mommy. Laughter can relieve tension, and promote a positive attitude; I must say that is soooo adorable to see a Mommy laugh so hard that her belly is moving!
· I am passionate about being sensitive and respectful to the different relationships in the room during labor and birth. Whether it is the relationship between the couple and the doctor or between the husband and wife, I think it is essential for a doula to be constantly aware of those moments when a doctor and her clients are speaking to each other and when there is an emotional connection she and her husband are having. I am there to help and encourage, ready to fade in and out (while staying in the room), ready to advocate and assure, ready to provide information if a question is asked.
