Things I Planned for my Birth as a Doula
I recently gave birth to my daughter. I wasn’t a doula when I had my first child five years ago, so I knew that this time I would be making some different choices and have different goals than when I had my son. I use the term birth plan but they are really birth preferences! As a doula I tell my clients that we have plan “A” all the way to plan '“Z” because unexpected things can come up in a birth where you might have to deviate from you original plan, and that is what happened to me!
The first thing I did when I found out I was pregnant was choose which sort of provider I wanted to see! With my son I saw an OBGYN, and even though she was lovely, I find that when attempting a low-intervention birth OB’s tend not to be the best choice when having a low-risk pregnancy. This time around I received care through a midwifery practice and I absolutely LOVED My experience! When it came to my pregnancy they tried to be as hands off as possible, and even when my pregnancy became more medically complicated they still did their absolute best to minimize interventions while still keeping the health of me and my baby a priority. And when during my delivery we had an urgent situation that required some medical intervention, my midwife handled it calmly and with great skill.
The second thing I did differently was to hire a birth doula! This is something I wanted to do when I was pregnant with my first child, but because of COVID restrictions I wasn’t going to choose a doula over my husband. As a birth doula myself I understand their importance in the birth space and was very excited to be able to hire one! Because we moved from Ohio to Virginia in my second trimester, I found my doula particularly helpful in helping inform me about the local birth scene. Which midwives and doctors are best to align with my goals, debating the merits of the different hospitals and birth centers, and informing me about local providers of lactation, pelvic floor, ect. I also knew that my doula would be so helpful in physically supporting me in my labor to help me accomplish my goal of an unmedicated birth! Even though my labor ended up happening in 30 minutes and I barely made it to the hospital myself, let alone my doula, her support before and after the birth was invaluable to me. (If you are in the Roanoke, VA area I would consider Ayla Hartness if you are looking for a birth doula!)
The third thing I did was to PREPARE myself to have an unmedicated birth. That was my goal for my son but I didn’t actually do much to prepare myself for it (which I believe is part of the reason I ended up asking for an epidural). During this pregnancy I practiced breathing techniques, made an “action plan” of all the pain-control methods I had at my disposal, worked with my husband and my doula on counter-pressure techniques. These are all things that can help your chances of success in being able to cope during labor!
I loved this most recent birth experience! Even though unexpected things popped up and there were moments where I needed to be flexible. I chose providers I could trust, and I felt prepared, heard, and respected. If you are wanting to talk through what you want for your upcoming birth, reach out today to schedule a consultation!
