The Value of a Labor Doula
Take a stroll down the "Pregnancy and Birth" section of any bookstore and you will be inundated with a plethora of titles on the subject. So much information! You just wanted to have a sweet little baby, how could that possibly produce so much to write about? Haven't women been doing this for millennia without having to read a whole library in nine months?! Yes, they have, but that was then and this is now.
Today, in our world of hospitals and medical insurance, the simple act of giving birth is not always so simple. There are many options of care to sort through, and your care provider usually does not have the time to guide you through it all. As with all of your health and wellness care, you are in charge and you are the one who will take best care of you. During pregnancy, taking care of you means hiring a labor doula.
The doula's work is to provide informational, emotional, and physical support. These three things are enormous needs through this journey of birth. A labor doula can help you choose the best pregnancy books, because she's read most of them! She will explain the usual physiological and medical processes of birth. You can choose what is important to you and what you'd rather not see happen. During your labor, she is there with you the whole time; helping you stick to your preferences, but also providing information you need to make decisions when the circumstances of labor throw you a curve. She won't make decisions for you, but she will be a guide and witness of your journey.
The intangible factor of a doula's support gets to the heart of the matter. Whether it is your first birth or your fourth, the presence of an experienced, knowledgeable, supportive woman makes all the difference. She will be the quiet strength of labor for both you and your partner. Her encouragement and affirming touch provides the peace that a woman needs to simply give birth in an often complex environment, joining the centuries of mothers who have gone before her. The abundance of information written about birth becomes much less overwhelming with the support of a doula. Be informed, be assured, and get back to the empowering, joyful experience of birthing your sweet little baby.
