The Doula Book

Written by, Marshall Klaus, M.D., John H. Kennell, M.D., & Phyllis H. Klaus, C.S.W., M.F.T.

This book was required to be read for the certification of DONA, (Doulas of North America). This isn’t a book someone would usually pick up to read when pregnant. However, it has some fantastic studies and statistics in regards to a Doulas presence in the birthing room. I would like to share some of those studies with you and if you become intrigued you can borrow this book from me or this book is may be in the local Library.

So here are some statistics in chapter 5, ‘Obstetric Benefits of Doula Support’

Cleveland Couples Study

555 women and partners                                              No Doula                        Doula

C-Section                                                                        22.5%                                  14.2%
Mothers choosing epidural                                           76.8%                                  67.6%

*significant difference

“Fathers are pleased to share their wives’ labor room with a nurse, midwife or trained doula who can explain what is happening, advise the father on support for his partner, and allow him to experience the birth without having to take on overwhelming responsibilities.”


Natural Vaginal Deliveries

No-doula group                         Only 25 out of 204 women or 12% delivered 
                                                    naturally(Without anesthesia, oxytocin, meds or forceps)
Doula Group                              116 out of 212 or 55% of women 
                                                    delivered naturally

** Highly significant difference

“25% of mothers in a narcotic group went on to receive an epidural, but only 6% of doula mothers did. These data are especially interesting and suggest that the mothers receiving a doula had a significant pain reduction.”




Houston Study
416 women                                                                           No Doula                        Doula

Mothers using oxytocin                                                           44%                              17%
Forceps deliveries                                                                    26%                                8%

** highly significant difference

C-Section                                                                                  18%                                 8%

*significant difference

“CONCLUSION: As mentioned earlier the authors have completed an analysis that draws together ten randomized trials of continuous doula support with a technique known as the meta-analysis. When the results of these studies are calculated together, the presence of a doula reduces the overall cesarean rate by roughly 45%, length of labor by 25%, oxytocin use by 50%, and pain medication by 31%, the need for forceps by 34% and requests for epidurals by 10-60%.”

There are more studies in this chapter that I didn’t include such as ‘Doulas for teenage mothers or maternal fevers’. The above statistics are astonishing to say the least. Dr. Kennell continues to support a doulas role in a hospital setting. Having said, that I’ll end on a quote, "If a doula were a drug, it would be malpractice not to use It.”, Dr. John H. Kennell.

The Time Is Nearing....

Well Readers,

I am going to Edmonton this weekend to attend 'Birthing From Within' childbirth educator/doula workshop. I have not decided, just yet, if I want to be certified as a doula in both
DONA and Birthing From Within.  I just did so much work for DONA and triumphed through all the silly obstacles along the way I think I may just want to focus on prenatal instruction. Although I will decide once in Edmonton.

I AM so pumped about this workshop! I can't wait to work with expecting parents with the Birthing From Within concept. I can't wait to learn more about prenatal education and apply it with some clients. I am not stopping here. I'm registered to attend the teaching workshop through Douglas college and  Lamaze international in Sept. I can't wait for the fall!!!!!Okay okay I can wait for the fall :-)

My DONA Essay

              The Value and Purpose of Labour Support

Women and their partners may have misconceptions on what role the Doctors and Nurses play during labour and delivery.  They may not realize that the Doctor usually only ‘catches’ the baby and the nurses are there to monitor and record the progression of a safe labour and birth, possibly having the time to provide emotional support needed, in between patients.  Most nurses are overworked, understaffed, have more than one patient, go on shift changes or breaks. These inconsistencies with labour support can put more stress in a labour room especially if this is the first birth. Often medical professionals are open to Doulas present during birth and are welcoming of the support Doulas have to offer.

Labour support first off can put a mother and her partner at ease when they know ‘who’ will be there for support and that the doula won’t go on shift change or leave at any particular moment.  Doulas can alleviate some stressors and have the professional knowledge to help with position change, comfort techniques, understanding of the progression of labour and encourage the mother to do what she wants or have interventions that she wants, while maintaining the safety of the mom and baby.

A professional Doula should not only be educated in emotional and physical support of a labouring woman, they should also thoroughly understand the stages of labour and the pros and cons of possible interventions. A Doula, in no way, should undermine the medical professionals or perform any type of medical exams or involvement. They also should not make any decisions for the mother or on the mother’s behalf. Doulas responsibilities should include;

• Empowering the woman/birth partner to address any medical concerns with her healthcare provider. 
• Support women on their right to choose and their right to their birth 
• Involve the birth partner as much as they’re comfortable with. 
• Offer advice for comfort techniques or positions. 
• Maintain a consistent means of support to both the mother and birth partner. 
• Educate the mother on interventions and pain medications previous to delivery.

The means of support, as listed above, may seem to be minor or simple for some. However the evidence of Doula support for the labouring mother, with or without a partner, is astonishing.  This simple involvement has a huge impact on a variety issues. According to “The Doula Book”, the caesarean rate for induced women who had a doula present was 20% compared to 63.6% of women without doula support.  The next astounding percentage was in regards to teen mothers and breastfeeding and epidural rates. The breastfeeding rates were 80% with doula support compared to 45% without support. The epidural percentage was recorded at 11.4% with Doula support compared to 50% without support. These comparisons only show and signify the importance of positive and consistent labour support throughout all stages of delivery and including breastfeeding support and success.

It is fascinating the memories a mother has in regards to her labour. When reading, The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labour Companions, I was surprised that a mother can retain such intricate details about the birth experience she has had.  This too shows the magnitude of being involved in such an intimate moment. The honour of being invited into a birth is grandiose.

It has been shown, through many forms of literature, how beneficial labour support present during birth can have. Doulas present during birth have become more popular and a modern trend.  On another note, Consistent support has shown to decrease a need for medical intervention, therefore, reducing costs associated to possible outcomes, for example, caesarean sections. Possibly, in the future, these facts will be taken into consideration and the role of a doula will become recognized as staff within the hospital environment rather than privately hired.

Well, well, well... it's been way too long :-)

So it has been a few months since my last blog entry. Due to certain situation (like my computers all crashing) I have been unable to do anything.  I was so inspired by some wonderful women I talked with and wanted to share some insight and inspiration. I met with Christa Pooley who is a local registered massage therapist. She is a kind and gentle woman and an exceptional RMT.  She shared some techniques on providing massage comfort to women who are expecting.  She widened the spectrum of  comfort measures that were taught to me during the DONA workshop. I cannot wait to apply these techniques to my clients and share this knowledge with their partners. 

I am happy to say that June is full and I am accepting clients for April and July onwards. *Insert Happy dance here...I am hoping that if all goes well, I will have more amazing and exceptional birthing services to offer in July and onwards. However, I will reveal more information when I complete the tasks at hand.  

One event I'm planning is in May.  May is Doula awareness month and the 5th of May is International Day of the Midwife.  I am hoping to plan an information session on Doulas and have the local midwife, Sarah Hilbert-West attend depending on the arrival of babies :-).  The exact date and time has yet to be determined.

There are some mothers I have talked to lately who also inspired me to share a link. This link was shared through Doula Services Association of British Columbia.

This website, Solace For Mothers, is a great tool for those women who have experienced a traumatic childbirth. I found that one of the importances of this website is women can have a connection to other mothers who have experienced a similar birth. This has opened my eyes to the need of more recognition to traumatic births. Reading about this topic brought back emotions I had felt with the emergency C-Section with my twins. Yes, we were all healthy, however I had experienced a wide range of emotions, fear and a sense of disconection with my babies compared to when I had with my first two births. It is imoprtant to talk about these issues and connect with other women who can understand what you went through. So please, if you have a moment check out this website.
http://www.solaceformothers.org/what_birth_trauma.html

Thank you for reading my post :-)
Love and light
Stacey

PS My spell check is down so please let me know if it doesn't sound right :-)

Links I Love

Below are my long list of links to websites that I support.

I thought I would start with the Edmonton stay at home moms who focused their energy into something they love. These women are beyond inspirational to me. When I lived in Edmonton I met these women and I can't believe how successful they've become. They set a goal, a dream and achieved it.  

COSY BABY HAPPY MOMMY

http://www.cosybabyhappymommy.com/

Erin started to make baby carriers when she was working full time and teaching highland dancing.  I was in awe at how much she was doing and I constantly wondered how she managed it all.  She ended up focusing her energy at home and made baby carriers of all kinds; mei tei, ring slings, wraps, woven wraps and breastfeeding pillows. She was featured on Breakfast Television for all the carriers she has made.  Now she has 5 Alberta retailers, 1 BC retailer, 4 online retailers and of course myself. With her wrap I was able to wear my new born twins at the same time. They're now almost 2 years old and I still wear my son when he is cranky.  Baby wearing has so many benefits and if you want to find out more please click on the link above...

J'ADORE DANCE

http://jadoredance.com/frontpage

Jessica is an amazing woman. I attended her Parent and tot program , Fiesta Family. Xavier and I had such a great time! I was pregnant with Tahlia (#2) at the time.  Jessica provided such a fun environment and helped the parents be okay with being silly with their children. The children warmed up to the classes and even now when I put on the Fiesta Family music CD at home, my children love it and we dance our heart out.  To all Edmontonians reading this, if you have an opportunity to go to these classes, then go!  You will not regret it at all.  When I attended her classes she was starting to branch out and hire more instructors.  Now she owns her own dance studio and has been seen many times on Breakfast Television.  She also has more classes to offer.  One of them was working out while wearing your baby.  If you go into these classes you will see Erin's baby carriers worn.

  

LIL'BROCKLI BOUTIQUE  

 http://www.freewebs.com/allibrockli/  

Allison's talent with sewing is extraordinary! Her children clothes are sewn with love and creativity.  The chosen fabrics are beautiful and the styles are unique. She also orders beautiful pettiskirts.  I bought one for each daughter and they love them.  When my girls are all dressed up I get tonnes of compliments.  She also makes purses which are so gorgeous.  Please check her website out and find her on facebook.  

LOCAL LADIES

Now I live in Quesnel.  I do miss Edmonton on occasion, I really miss my family and friends, however I love where my family is right now.  For a small town you'd be surprised at how many hidden gems there are here.  There are so many that I'm only going to list the links I know that are based on baby/childrens items or services. 

BO PEEPS

http://www.bopeep.ca/

I've meet Sarah on occasion through school functions. If there is one thing I definatly notice is how she supports community sports and events.  Not only is my son's soccer team wearing Bo Peep jerseys, she also contributed funds for Will Stroet a Canadian children song writer and artist.  She also funded the showing of BABIES at our local theatre through the film club.  He store is always a pleasure to go to.  She has so many items that are eco friendly and unique. She has dance wear and gymnastic clothing too.  If you have the time please stop in or check out her website.  Sarah is a true example of the importance of shopping local. 

SARAH HILBERT WEST

http://www.westhillmidwifery.com/default.html

What better way to end this blog then to show my support to Sarah.  Sarah was a student midwife and savior to us when our twins were born.  The twins were in the NICU for 2 weeks and Sarah would drop by and visit me occasionally. I always look forward to when she would drop in and it meant so much to me. Now she recently opened her own practice and has been a registered midwife in Quesnel since the summer of 2010.  

She is an amazing person who radiates beautiful energy. One of many things I found fascinating about Sarah was her stories of her practicum in Uganda. She is a true gem to Quesnel and if there are any ladies in the area expecting, please give her a call.

ADBOOM STUDIO
http://www.adboomstudio.com/Okay, Okay Amy Quarry isn't completely all about babies but she is all about connections, media and advertising support. I met Amy again when I first moved back from Quesnel. She was at the November Farmers market selling the most beautiful handmade childrens clothing out of recycled clothes.  She dove into a new love of media advertising and has been completely successful preparing advertising in local bathrooms, email marketing, media and now has started to offer local advertising with the theater.  She is woman with a large heart, beautiful soul and exceptional creative flair. I look forward to working with her in the future...



 ~Cheers~

Just Plain Excited

I have stumble on the CAPPA website and there is a course that you can do long distance called Lactation Educator. I am so excited!  I have wanted to start a breastfeeding drop in group once a month but so far it is just a thought. I also want to start a breastfeeding class too.

When I was in our first prenatal group in Edmonton, they also had breastfeeding information class too.  The prenatal instructor urged our group to attend. My thought was, "Why do I need to go? Why do they need to have a class on it? My sister breastfed her child with ease, my mom never had any issues with any of us, so why did I need to go to a class. Breastfeeding is natural and easy right?" WOW WAS I WRONG! Sure my sister and many friends of mine breastfed with ease but I had problems with it.  I felt inadequate, that my baby didn't want me, I wasn't good enough, and the list went on and on. When I was in the hospital the nurse didn't help me until 12 hours after my baby was born. Then when he wouldn't latch she brought in the ultimate pump.  I pumped each side for 15 minutes and looked at this minimal amount of liquid that was at the bottom of the jar and cried. I told my husband, " That's it! That's all there is in me?" He held me as I cried and then when the nurse came it she said, " Wow! You pumped lots of colostrum." I never knew anything about colostrum and really I was completely uneducated about breastfeeding in general. I left the hospital the next day.  I still couldn't latch my baby, no matter how hard I tried and I was a mess. However they did refer me to a lactation consultant and I had something to look forward to.

Looking back I should have taken that 2 hour class on breastfeeding.  I would have been more educated and aware of what can happen.  Breastfeeding information is just as important as prenatal information. Becoming a new mother is hard enough with lack of sleep, hormones raging, everyone telling what you are or are not doing 'right' and the problems with breastfeeding can make you just want to throw your hands up in the air and give up. I know how valuable help was to me when I was struggling with breastfeeding. I guarantee you that I would have given up if I had not recieved help from a lactation consultant or family and friends.  I know that if the help wasn't there I would have stopped because he would have lost weight and that would have been my deciding factor. I found out later about the Le Leche League meeting in Edmonton but at that point in time I was successfully Breastfeeding my son. 

There are no drop in groups in Quesnel and that is unfortunate. There is Buddy up for Breastfeeding where you can call someone for information or help.  However I have not heard how well that group is doing.  If new mothers are even using it. If you are reading this and from Quesnel and have used this program it would be nice to know what you thought about it.  If you had problems, didn't use it, then please tell me why.  If you are reading this and are struggling with breastfeeding please reach out and call this program.  There are other mothers who want to help.

In this long, detailed, personal experience is the reason why I want to become a lactation educator.  I want to inform new mothers and their partners of what to expect when breastfeeding your new baby.  I want to offer a class I didn't think was necessary and found out the hard way that it does help.  I want to support women with breastfeeding and their issues, if any, and point them to local resources for help. 

It can be hard but it does get much easier. The few weeks of getting through the mess is worth every moment ahead of you.

~Cheers

Just About Complete and Just About Started

Supporting women in labor has been a dream of mine since I lived in Edmonton and was a mother of only two children.  A friend of mine supported me in this decision and my husband went above and beyond helping me reach this goal.  I am finishing up the essays required for my certificate through Doulas Of North America (DONA) International and have become excited seeing the end of this approval process. Once this is completed I would like to continue my education by becoming a certified Lamaze Child Birth Educator and also complete the Lactation Educator through CAPPA.  I know that I won't be able to reach out to or help all women but I hope that those lives I touch will be beneficial for them. If you are considering hiring a Doula please choose someone that you are comfortable with...
Cheers