If you are expecting, this maybe a time of excitement, baby showers and shopping trips but it can also be one of uncertainty, fears and feelings of vulnerability especially if this is going to be the first time you give birth. That means you will be needing support during pregnancy and on the day itself. Depending on where you are in your trimesters it is also important to give your support network some thought from as early as 20 weeks gestation if not earlier.
When birthing in the UK you are assigned a midwife (or team of midwives) who will be on hand at the time of your birth and no doubt you will have some friends and family who can offer little nuggets that did benefit their experience, but, a doula can provide invaluable emotional, and physical support, tailored to your experience which is why many expectant mums hire one.
A doula is defined as an individual who provides personal support to an expectant mum before, during, and after birth (the perinatal period). This may sound like the job description of a midwife, but it is not. While the Midwife will deal with the clinical side of things, a doula offers moral and personal and emotional support, which includes helping parents or birth attendants learn to focus on their skills for this birthing experience as well as how to look after a new baby in various ways once born.
Some doula's can cover the whole period from pregnancy to post-natal times, while others specifically offer birthing or post-natal support.
The question many will ask is whether there is a need to hire a doula in the UK. Some may consider the combination of clinical expertise and the support of family and friends to be enough, but others will happily confirm with the increase in physical and hormonal changes there is much to gain from this extra level of support.
For instance, as Women’s Health notes, research has shown that having a doula on hand has led to significantly better outcomes. This includes a 50 per cent lower rate of pregnancies ending in Cesarean Sections, 60 per cent lower demand for epidurals, 30 per cent lower use of forceps and 25 per cent shorter labours on average.
Knowing this can make the whole experience much less stressful both for the mother and also her nearest and dearest.
In short, by hiring a 'Conscious Mothers' doula, you have extra support that will both make the whole process easier and less scary, and the birth itself is likely to go much more smoothly and help expectant families make informed choices to support their needs this pregnancy to parenting experience.
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