Guest guest Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Hi Luci, a doula is like a birthing coach - she's usually a motherly type who encourages you and gives you lots of good advice before hand, gets you ice chips and pillows and stuff while you are in labor, and sometimes even comes home with you for a couple of days after the baby arrives so you can try to get some sleep and she can teach you how to change diapers and make sure you and the baby are getting the hang of breastfeeding or whatever. It's probably a yuppie kind of thing to do - for people whose real mothers or sisters or families live so far away and it's not practical to have them come out to visit and wait with you while you wait for the baby to arrive. Hope that explains it - there are probably lots of websites out there that say it better Pam B. In a message dated 12/17/2002 5:32:37 PM Eastern Standard Time, graves_support writes: Hi I was reading posts and saw Pam write to Tori (hope it's not concidered eaves dropping) But since I was .....whats a doula? Thanks Luci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Hi Luci, a doula is like a birthing coach - she's usually a motherly type who encourages you and gives you lots of good advice before hand, gets you ice chips and pillows and stuff while you are in labor, and sometimes even comes home with you for a couple of days after the baby arrives so you can try to get some sleep and she can teach you how to change diapers and make sure you and the baby are getting the hang of breastfeeding or whatever. It's probably a yuppie kind of thing to do - for people whose real mothers or sisters or families live so far away and it's not practical to have them come out to visit and wait with you while you wait for the baby to arrive. Hope that explains it - there are probably lots of websites out there that say it better Pam B. In a message dated 12/17/2002 5:32:37 PM Eastern Standard Time, graves_support writes: Hi I was reading posts and saw Pam write to Tori (hope it's not concidered eaves dropping) But since I was .....whats a doula? Thanks Luci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 21, 2002 Report Share Posted December 21, 2002 Tori, this is late and you probably got an answer already, but a doula is someone who is there just for YOU. As birth nears, the doctor's, nurses' or midwife's focus is basically entirely on the baby. And with doctors and nurses the focus tends to be there during all of labor as well. This is not entirely a bad thing-- the baby may need help and everyone wants to be alert to that possibility. The baby is, after all, the point to all this. But it can make it hard on the mother, who can end up totally ignored except for the small area between her legs. The doula has nothing at all to do with the baby, and everything to do with the mother. They do whatever the mother needs--that is their only concern. I didn't have one but I know people who did, and they loved it. I planned on a homebirth when I had my son. I labored at home, but ended up transferring to the hospital after pushing started when it looked like the baby might be in distress. After 1 1/2 hours of pushing at the hospital ended up having a c-section. was pretty big (a little over 9 pounds) and I had back labor with no meds at all until I had the section, but the worst part of the whole labor for me was when they decided to do the section. I was left alone, exhausted, scared, freezing cold, and stark naked in a hallway waiting until the room for the section was ready. I was having contractions but not supposed to push-- which is horrible. It was probably only about ten minutes, maybe 15, but it seemed like an eternity. If I had had a doula, I'm pretty sure that bit wouldn't have happened. In a highly medical and technical setting the mother can sometimes be seen as little more than a container holding the baby. Even DH and other family members or friends can get all wrapped up in watching the monitors. The doula has training and experience and knows her job is YOU. Hmmm... That seems like quite a soapbox for someone who didn't use one, doesn't it? -- in Fla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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