Let me just preface this post by saying I couldn't have done an unmedicated birth without the assistance of my wonderful doula Liz. I mean I hardly have to explain myself I feel like these photos do an amazing job at showing her love and support for us throughout our birthing journey but I'll further explain what a doula is, why you need one, and where to fine one!
dou·la
ˈdo͞olə/
noun
- a woman who is trained to assist another woman during childbirth and who may provide support to the family after the baby is born.
Or what I like to say, basically a wedding planner for your birth. Call them birth planners. So I didn't even really know what a doula was until I started researching unmedicated births. And don't let that stop you from getting a doula, whatever your birth preferences are a doula is 100% worth the investment! But anyways, I originally found out about doula's through a documentary on Netflix called The Business of Being Born. You should definitely watch it. It's amazing. And it's actually what inspired me to look into an unmedicated birth. That and a YouTuber named Ellen Fisher. She has an amazing informative channel. Check it out here. And has great breast feeding tips on her blog!
Back to Doula's. So I knew I really wanted a doula for our birth. After looking into them and reading a ton I just knew it was the right path for us to take. My husband had a work colleague who's wife was a doula and it just felt right. We arranged a meet up with her and after speaking with her, telling her our wishes, desires and needs we knew she was the perfect one for us! We also felt strongly about getting a doula because I decided to go with a group of midwives for Billie's birth. So at the time I didn't know who would be delivering me and to have someone that I knew would be there for sure and feel comfortable with was a big deal to me!
If you don't have someone close to you like we did - we totally lucked out. You can join different Facebook groups and ask other mama's in your area if they know of good doula's or who they recommend. I guarantee that there is almost always a doula in or near your area! I really like the group The Mamahood Blog community. There are def some cray cray's out there but for the most part it's very informative and a supportive group. You can search for similar questions to what you have on the Facebook page too which I think is great!! Use social media to your advantage :) It's such a great resource for information! Even if it's on your personal page and you do a post reaching out to the network you have.
We had 2 appointments (besides the initial 'meet up') with Liz. Liz is certified in The Curtis Method of Hypnobirthing (which is the method I took classes for), Breastfeeding Support - I literally had no idea WTF I was doing the first time I fed Billie - with Liz's support and help she latched immediately and made me feel confident and comfortable feeding her! And she is certified in massage and reflexology techniques for the Professional Doula.
For our 2 appointments on the first one she did Reflexology and played one of my Hypnobirthing tracks and helped me relax and unwind. IT WAS FRIGGIN AMAZING. I felt like a million bucks afterward. She has such a kind touch, and soft ora about her.
On the second appointment we practiced counter pressure positions and also pushing positions and talked about my Birth Plan and discussed any other questions we had for our birth. We gave her a copy of the birth plan so that we were all on the same page and it was so nice knowing that even if me and Adam were caught up on in the moment during our birth that Liz had our back and knew exactly what we wanted for our birth! It put my mind at sooo much ease knowing I literally just needed to go in, birth my baby and everything else would be taken care of.
Alright so fast forward the morning of Billie's birth I texted Liz and she showed up to the hospital as fast as Jimmy John's sandwiches deliver. Freaky fast. Haha, she put beautiful tea lights around our room and fairy lights on the couch. And immediately came over to me to check in, and help with counter pressure. At this time Adam had been doing it for like 4 hours and she took over and I could tell Adam was relieved. Haha. And I needed help with every single contraction and she was there through it all. She also remembered I had brought a speaker and turned on the birthing playlist that I had created with Adam and honestly the mood of the room was magic.
Throughout my labor she asked me if I wanted to change positions, how I was feeling, encouraged breathing and moaning as needed and made me feel so comfortable, relaxed and calm. She kept me super hydrated (literally the last thing you think about during labor so someone needs to be on top of that) and helped me stick to my birth plan. SHE WAS AMAZING I JUST LOVE HER. She helped me stay focused when I lost my rhythm and helped encourage me to take cleansing breaths and relax as much as possible in-between contractions. She even held my hair back when I was puking my brains out in transition.
I think the thing that made me most happy and please with having a doula was that when my midwife had encouraged me to get my water broken Liz knew I wanted an intervention free labor and encouraged me to push through a few more contractions before getting it broken. At the time I felt like okay just do it I want to meet my baby but I'm SO glad that she was there to support me in that decision and keep me head on straight. I actually didn't even have to put up my birth plan with her assistance. It was like, she WAS my birth plan.
Anyways, if you are in the Utah Valley area I 100% recommend Liz and her services. She is AMAZING. Like words can't put her to justice. If you're not in the Utah Valley area I suggest you reach out to your community and try to find a Doula in your area. They really make the biggest difference and I think can totally change your perspective on birth. Whether it's your first birth or your 5th you need a doula!! And I know Adam would have a million and 1 good things to say about her too. Birth can either be an extremely bonding sacred thing for you and your partner or an extremely stressful parting experience. I'm so glad that with the help and encouragement of Liz, Adam too felt supported and with the help and guidance of Liz was able to encourage and support me throughout my entire birth. And I'm happy to report we felt closer than ever after the birth of Billie.
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Empowering Mothers In Utah Valley
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