cac0fae8c8f092b7d7e32f10d5d4e9c220d2969b My Health Is My Life: The Roles Of A Childbirth Doula Northern Colorado

The Roles Of A Childbirth Doula Northern Colorado

By Robert Gibson


The word doula has its origin from Greece and can be translated to mean a servant or handmaiden. Labor doulas are also known as birth doulas and are women who have training in providing practical and emotional support to new mothers before, during and after birth. If the same services are needed during the period after birth, postpartum doulas would need to be hired. In consideration of services of a childbirth doula Northern Colorado residents need to know the advantages of the services.

They facilitate communication between women and caregivers. They help to encourage women to advocate for themselves and make required decisions as regards their care. The doula will stay with a women all through the labor period, offering encouragement. They suggest techniques to be used to increase comfort as well as assistance with breastfeeding. The services might also be needed after birth, in which they offer support with organizing the home, running errands and cooking.

In most cases, doulas will come into the picture during the second or third trimester of pregnancy. There will be prenatal meetings during which discussions are help regarding preferences of the woman. It is important that the doula who is chosen is able to meet needs of the mother. The mother will also share what she thinks about such things as drugs or different interventions. If she has any fears about childbirth, they will share that as well. Doulas are supposed to explore kinds of emotional support which could help.

Doulas will help to provide all the additional supper a mother might require during pregnancy and ultimately for childbirth. However, they are not supposed to make medical recommendations or provide clinical assessment. They should come up with a plan for the birth, which is possible because of their training as birth educators. Reputable doulas also have training as lactation consultants.

What doulas offer which most caregivers do not provide is continuous support to a mother when they are going through labor. They will arrive at the beginning of labor or when the women needs additional help. They have a meeting with the woman several hours before the mother leaves to go to hospital for delivery. After that, they stay with the mother through the labor period. They will actually stay around for several hours following birth.

Studies show that women that receive continuous support are likely to have spontaneous vaginal birth. That is as compared to women who do not receive such support. In addition to that, they have shorter labor hours and are less likely to need to use pain medications. For such mothers, there is likely to be better satisfaction with their birth experience. One week after birth, they will make a visit at home to see whether there is additional support needed.

It is not mandatory for doulas to be certified. However, there are organizations which provide certification. The certification programs are varied in length and rigor. When hiring, you should mostly consider the experience of the person and whether they are best placed to assist.

You need to consider cost of their services before hiring. Most tend to charge hourly while others charge flat fees. Some insurance firms can pay for some part of the costs.




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