A lot of times when people ask me what I do,....I am a childbirth educator and a doula. Equal number of people scoff at the childbirth educator bit (more about that later) as the say a dou...what!
A DOULA
The word doula comes from Greece and refers to a woman of service.
A doula accompanies a woman in labor to provide physical, emotional, and educational support for a more satisfying birth experience. She does not perform clinical tasks such as fetal heart rate monitoring, nor does she make medical diagnoses. A doula will helps the labouring woman make decisions by providing information and support, but will not make decisions for her.
Studies have found that birth companions, of which doulas are one type, offer numerous benefits both to the mother and child. Women with support have a reduction in the duration of labor, less use of pain relief medications, lower rates of operative vaginal delivery, and in many studies a reduction in caesarian deliveries. Newborns in supported births have lower rates of fetal distress and fewer are admitted to neonatal intensive care units. In addition, one study found that 6 weeks after delivery, a greater proportion of doula-supported women, compared to a control group, were breastfeeding, and these women reported greater self-esteem, less depression, and a higher regard for their babies and their ability to care for them. These results are similar to findings that support from a female relative during childbirth has similar effects.
One study found doula support without childbirth classes to be more helpful than childbirth classes alone, as measured by levels of emotional distress and self-esteem evaluated at an interview 4 months after birth. In particular, it was noted that women in the doula-supported group reported their infants as less fussy than the group attending childbirth class without any doula support.
CNN did a neat story on doulas.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/08/06/hm.doulas/index.html
I am a doula, its an honour to be a woman of service and part of birth
A DOULA
The word doula comes from Greece and refers to a woman of service.
A doula accompanies a woman in labor to provide physical, emotional, and educational support for a more satisfying birth experience. She does not perform clinical tasks such as fetal heart rate monitoring, nor does she make medical diagnoses. A doula will helps the labouring woman make decisions by providing information and support, but will not make decisions for her.
Studies have found that birth companions, of which doulas are one type, offer numerous benefits both to the mother and child. Women with support have a reduction in the duration of labor, less use of pain relief medications, lower rates of operative vaginal delivery, and in many studies a reduction in caesarian deliveries. Newborns in supported births have lower rates of fetal distress and fewer are admitted to neonatal intensive care units. In addition, one study found that 6 weeks after delivery, a greater proportion of doula-supported women, compared to a control group, were breastfeeding, and these women reported greater self-esteem, less depression, and a higher regard for their babies and their ability to care for them. These results are similar to findings that support from a female relative during childbirth has similar effects.
One study found doula support without childbirth classes to be more helpful than childbirth classes alone, as measured by levels of emotional distress and self-esteem evaluated at an interview 4 months after birth. In particular, it was noted that women in the doula-supported group reported their infants as less fussy than the group attending childbirth class without any doula support.
CNN did a neat story on doulas.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/08/06/hm.doulas/index.html
I am a doula, its an honour to be a woman of service and part of birth
I was one of the lucky ones to be a part of Divya’s class. This is my story…..
ReplyDeleteWas a little over a year ago when I enrolled for Divya’s childbirth classes hoping to educate myself on the stages of labour & how to endure it. What I ended up learning was much more………
A little about myself first - I was a student of Mathematics & I like reading business mags in my spare time. Reason & logic come easily to me……emotions & feelings, not so much. My biggest fear during my pregnancy was that when the time came I would not be able to “feel” it & my childbirth experience would be nothing but “robotic”. Enter DIVYA….
I was overwhelmed by her passion & dedication to her work & the importance that she gave to the emotional aspect of childbirth. The transformation of a woman to a Mother is a phenomenal transition which sadly is overlooked because after all “almost every woman goes through it” but that did not stop Divya from emphasising it. I think it was all due to her efforts that I experienced childbirth at such a strong emotional level that it seemed almost spiritual.
Thanks Divya. I will always remember you.
Charita