So we're getting a birth doula. We're using the Heart & Hands Doula Service. Our Lamaze teacher handed out a paper that highlights the benefits of a doula and I don't see a down side. The paper says that continuous labor support increases your chances of having a vaginal birth, makes it less likely that you will use pain medication, and you'll be less likely to have negative feelings about your birth experience.
I'm not a big fan of being drugged. My mom said that she thought my jaw surgery would have been worse than birth. I said, the worst part of my jaw surgery was being drugged. And the idea of getting an epidural and not being able to move around does not appeal to me in the slightest. It's probably a control thing, I need to have it.
So the Doula will be there to help remind us of what we learned in class and suggest things to help with pain relief that we may not have thought of. She'll help us understand all our options when it comes to interventions and be there to provide support. And hopefully I'll be able to avoid drugs. They also take detailed notes and pictures so that we have a birth record.
We're planners. And, I think, since we don't know what to expect it makes it hard to plan and prepare. Having a doula there takes away some of the stress that this brings about.
If I went into labor 100 years ago instead of 3 weeks from now there would be at least one woman there to help me through my labor and birth. My mom, JR's mom, a midwife. And that's how it's been for ages. The only difference is now I get to be in a hospital with doctors and nurses and my doula has been trained to help support me. Seems like the best of both worlds to me.
Thank God it's not 1950.
If I can do it, you can do it! People think I am crazy when I say it really wasn't that bad to not have drugs! But honestly, I wasn't in that much pain. The worst part was when I had to stop pushing in between contractions... But then again, Melanie seemed to come out at the speed of light with just 3 pushes. So let's just hope you have a quick labor and delivery and you will be just fine! I didn't even think the contractions were that bad. I could breathe through all of them. And dispite what Tony says, I don't plan to have the epidural next time either! It was so nice to be able to get up and walk to the bathroom on my own when everything was done.
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