our reasons for a doula.

First of all, what is a doula?? Definition says....

a woman who is trained to assist another woman during childbirth and who may provide support to the family after the baby is born.

I also like to describe a doula as "the most amazing woman ever!" because that is pretty much what ours is. I am excited to share our reasons for hiring a doula, since I have been asked that question a lot & I'm really happy with our decision!

1 // this is our first time with pregnancy

This was honestly the biggest reason we decided to find a doula. There are so many unknown questions about pregnancy and birth that a doula can help you with and make you feel more comfortable. There is a sense of safety because a doula really KNOWS what is going on. They train to help in so many areas and it can make you feel secure in the crazyness of pregnancy. 

2 // we are going the natural/unmedicated route

I know there are a lot of doulas that help with hospital medicated births but it is most common to have a doula if you are doing the opposite. A doula is trained to help you manage the pain of child birth and give you ways to complete the task faster and more effeciently. We are lucky enough to have a doula that will come to our house during the beginning stages of labor so I will have support and help if I have any questions. This also takes off a ton of pressure since she will be there to help us know when it is time to head to the birth center so we won't make that trip too early and have to leave and come back again, which is very common with first births.

3 // birting classes & postpartum care is usually provided

This was a huge perk for us since Peter travels a lot for work and we could not take part in normal birthing classes since they can take several weeks to complete. It is much easier to have the one on one sessions with our doula directly in the comfort of our own home. It also helps create that bond with the doula, so when the time comes for baby to enter the world, you will have a sense of comfort with her. Postpartum care is different for every doula it seems, it could be a couple of hours in the hospital/birthing center, or several weeks. I'm so happy that our doula includes service for 6 weeks after the birth. Like I mentioned before, this is our first time around with pregnancy so that also means it is our first time around with parenthood. The big world of baby is exciting but it can also be very scary if you don't know all the answers. From breastfeeding, to healing after birth, to just simple ways to take care of our new baby; our doula can help make that transition a lot smoother and that is a huge perk for us.