Better late than never, right?
I don't think I ever mentioned that Steve and I hired a doula for our L&D. Let me tell you, it was the best decision we made.
When I was researching natural labor, I came across information on doulas. I had never heard of them before but I thought it sounded like an interesting idea. I searched online to see if there were any doulas in our area and I found Char. We met with her when I was 30 weeks pregnant and after our chat we hired her, she was amazing.
She checked on me weekly through email and texts, asked how my Dr appointments were going, and was always there to answer my questions.
The day I went in to be induced, she was there with us from 11:00am-10:00pm.
Here are some of the things she did for us:
* Got us whatever we needed- blankets, water, pillows, popsicles, etc.
* She helped explained anything the nurses said/did and what was happening on the monitor while I was being induced
* Helped me breathe through contractions, told me positions to try, massaged my back, explained to Steve how he could help me
* Kept our parents updated as they waited in the waiting room
* During delivery she held one of my legs and was a wonderful coach. Told me how to push and let me know a 'play by play' of everything that was going on (she was the one who told me Emily had so much hair)
* Took pictures as Emily was born and while she was being cleaned up
* Helped get Emily latched for the first time
In a nutshell, Char was like our own private nurse. She answered all of our questions and kept us calm and relaxed. I had the best midwife, but she delivered 10 babies the day Emily was born (Emily was #10) so she was very busy and wasn't around much. I could never thank Char enough for making our labor so amazing and stress free.
So there you have it, if you have the opportunity to hire a doula I say definitely do it!
Awesome review! Our labor went so fast and we had a dedicated (awesome) nurse and a midwife that only delivered 2 babies that night that I think we were okay without one, but if it had been longer, that's the one thing I wish we'd have done differently (making it a priority to hire a doula). I'm glad you had such a great experience with yours!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience with a doula. I never really considered it before but I have been hearing many positive things about them. She sounds great!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me wish I had hired one!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a doula. We are trying for a birth center birth next time, but if not, I definitely want a doula with me in the hospital.
ReplyDeleteI think with our next baby I would like to hire a doula. Even though I gave birth all natural with Aiden, it was REALLY hard and I felt like DH had no clue how to help me. I had bad back labor and every time he would rub my lower back, I wanted to scream at him that he wasn't doing it right! Lol
ReplyDeleteDo you mind me asking, how much is a doula and are they covered by insurance typically or is it out of pocket?
Even though mine ended up being non-natural I was so happy I had her! She wasn't too bad, worth every penny! Check out doulamatch.net and make sure they are certified! Ours was a certified doula and an RN- double plus!
ReplyDeleteI really love that idea. I still have to talk to the Hubby about it. I have a feeling he won't want anyone else in the room with us. We will see. Getting ahead of myself. Not even pregnant yet.
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