The Special Role of the Doula
Whereas the midwife, ob-gyn physician and/or nurse, must focus on facilitating a healthy birth, the doula’s main concern is to promote the mother’s comfort, well-being, and parental readiness. Nurturing and competent female caregiving has been scientifically shown to offset labor time, level of pain, attachment problems, postpartum depression, and family tension. Continuing studies indicate that rates of birth complications, and a baby’s failure to thrive, may also be ameliorated.
A maternal caregiver is there to provide physical and practical help to the new mother. In addition, the doula often provides the mother subtle emotional and psychological support that can’t be easily quantified and is non-formulaic. Like the best teachers, therapists, and parents, the doula optimally is a person with social and emotional intelligence and maturity, empathy, compassion, and warmth; who is personable and self aware, and open to being needed by a person who is in an extremely vulnerable situation. During late pregnancy, labor and the postnatal period, trained caregivers provide the safety, nurturing, responsiveness and respect to the mother, enabling her to more fully surrender to the biological process and enter states of alert receptivity, internal focus and vulnerability needed to cope with intense waves of physiological (and emotional) change. A parent who has been supported may be more prepared to recognize the subtle signals of their young child can be responsive in appropriate ways. The child feels safe and nurtured and is prepared for gaining more autonomy. This lays the groundwork for self-regulation. |
|
Creating a positive birth experience. How a Doula Can Help
A variety of factors can enhance a woman’s birth experience
Doulas have acquired many skills from their training and their own experience to help laboring women. Whereas the midwife, ob-gyn physician and/or nurse, must focus on facilitating a healthy birth, the doula’s main concern is to promote the mother’s comfort, well-being, and parental readiness. Nurturing and competent female caregiving has been scientifically shown to offset labor time, pain, attachment problems, postpartum depression, and family tension. Continuing studies indicate that rates of birth complications, and a baby’s failure to thrive, may also be ameliorated. A positive birth experience requires far more than handholding
A birth-giver needs to be secure that the person helping is competent and responsive, is “on top” of everything that is actually happening, and has knowledge about what to do to help. She needs to know that her caregiver won’t leave her, will help her through every contraction, will work with her through the pain, will guide her as needed, will help her understand and express her own feelings, fears, needs, worries, convey her wishes to the medical caregivers, will not confront or be in conflict with the other caregivers, but help her express herself, and as appropriate ask respectfully if a particular method might be used before a medical intervention is done. |
|