Currently Booking for:
March 2020: One Opening | April 2020: Two Openings | May 2020: Two Openings | June 2020: One opening for an early June date
March 2020: One Opening | April 2020: Two Openings | May 2020: Two Openings | June 2020: One opening for an early June date
What the heck is virtual doula support, anyway?!
Ok. So. This whole COVID-19 situation is a bit of a shock of everyone. Unless you were alive in 1918 (in which case you are probably not looking for doula support), life in the time of an epidemic is a lot like a first pregnancy. You've read about it, heard about it, but you haven't felt the experience in your bones.
Read on to find out a bit about doulas in general, and then check out Doulas 201 about working with Kate (that's me!). I'm so glad you're here!
Read on to find out a bit about doulas in general, and then check out Doulas 201 about working with Kate (that's me!). I'm so glad you're here!
"I'm sorry, what do you do again?"
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"So, you're like a midwife... right?"Nope. Not even a little bit. Midwives are interchangeable with OBs (in care for low-risk women) but doulas are not. So, you would hire a doula for birth support and a midwife for medical care, or a doula and an OB, but you would not hire me instead of a medically trained professional. Some people think that doulas only work with clients that are using midwives, or only with clients that are having homebirths. Neither of these things are true. Doulas are for everybody.
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Forget doulas for a minute - why a midwife? I often hear things like, "I don't want a midwife because I don't want to have this baby at home!" Or, "I don't think my insurance covers midwives." While it is true that midwives are the most common care providers for homebirths, most hospitals in the Chicago area (check out this group, this group, and this group for starters) have midwives that attend births in addition to OBs; all these midwife groups take insurance (of course, like with any practice, you'll need to check with your insurance company for details). The midwifery model of care, known as "woman-centered care" focuses on women as individuals and sees birth as a normal physiological event that occasionally needs intervention. The medical model of care views birth more pathologically (what's going to go wrong and how do we stop it?), leadng to more interventive care. Hospital-based midwives (as well as homebirth midwives) are a fabulous option for low-risk women, and they are well-trained in watching for any condition that would require a referral or transfer to an OB. The statistics for midwives overall are outstanding. Midwives are also the standard of care throughout most of Europe and other parts of the world - parts of the world that have better maternal and fetal health outcomes than the US. To put it frankly, my clients that work with midwives experience less interventions and are more in control of their birth experience by far, and my client pool is not unique in this aspect. So, if you're wondering "Why a midwife?", that's why.
"Won't my partner feel left out with a doula?"Let this really sink in: The roles of a partner and someone providing doula support are different, but both are vital. Just as a doula's job is to know all-things-birth, a partner's job is to be the expert in you. Just as there are things a partner can't offer that a doula can, the reverse is true as well. No one knows you better than your partner. Then, there's the beautiful intersection of everyone coming together and your whole care team is working together to help you achieve the incredible birth experience you are wanting.
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"So what's so great about a doula?"Lots of things have been said about having a professional birth support person present at your birth. One of my favorites is, "If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it." (Dr. John H. Kennell) Recently, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a statement that cited doulas as "one of the most effective tools to improve labor and delivery outcomes" in first-time moms. What?! That's Crazytown, right there. Why would anyone chose NOT to have a doula? While there are so many things that a doula can do, a doula is ultimately a witness to your incredible birth journey - whether that's through cesarean birth, a VBAC, an induced birth, a natural birth, a homebirth.
"Can't my partner be my doula?"Sure, in the same way that your partner/husband/mother/girlfriend/boyfriend can help you train for a marathon. Which is to say, no. Unless said partner happens to be trained and knowledgable in birth support there are likely to be missing pieces. Having someone with whom you share an incredibly close emotional connection might seem like a great idea, but can present a lot of challenges in the moment of birth ("Honey, are you sure you're doing it right?" Maybe not helpful...). Remember, this is your partner's big day, too. You are becoming parents together, and she/he/they need the space to experience that as well. A doula's job is to be focused on all-things-birth, so that you and your partner can focus on all-things-you.
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