Reasons To Hire Childbirth Doula Northern Colorado

By Robert Gibson


The term doula originated from Greek and when translated means handmaiden or servant. Birth doulas are also referred to as labor doulas. They are women who have training in providing practical and emotional assistance to women during birth. If the mother needs further assistance after birth, they will require the services of a postpartum doula. The roles of doulas are numerous. In considering services of a childbirth doula Northern Colorado residents should know the various roles.

Doulas facilitate communication between mothers and their caregivers. They encourage new mothers to advocate themselves in order to make required decisions. They will stay with the mother throughout the period they are having labor as they offer encouragement. They will come up with techniques that can be used in increasing comfort. If need be, they will offer guidance on breastfeeding. When their services are needed after birth, they will assist with organization of the home and running errands.

In many cases, a woman should meet their doula during either the second trimester of pregnancy or the third. For the meetings held before birth, the discussion will be about the preferences of the mother concerning their birth preference. The chosen doulas should meet all needs of the mother and if need be adapt to them. The mother will raise any fears they might have about giving birth. Doulas explore all forms of emotional support which might help the mother.

Doulas will help to provide all the additional supper a mother might require during pregnancy and ultimately for childbirth. However, they are not supposed to make medical recommendations or provide clinical assessment. They should come up with a plan for the birth, which is possible because of their training as birth educators. Reputable doulas also have training as lactation consultants.

What they offer that majority of medical caregivers do not is provision of continuous support to women during labor. Doulas will arrive when labor starts or any other time when the woman needs additional support. They will meet the mother some hours before they leave for the hospital to give birth. They will thereafter remain with the mother continuously throughout the labor period and stay until some hours after the birth is successfully done.

Studies have shown that when a woman receives continuous support, she is more likely to give birth spontaneously through the vagina. That is not so for women who never receive as much support. Furthermore, such women who receive support tend to have shorter hours during labor. They will not need to use pain medications in most instances. Such mothers have better satisfaction with birth experience. A doula should visit the mother at home after one week to ensure all is well.

There is no requirement that a doula should be certified. There are however some organizations which provide them with certification. The type of certification will depend on length of training and rigor. In hiring doulas, you need to find out the level of experience and how suitable they are for you.

You need to consider cost of their services before hiring. Most tend to charge hourly while others charge flat fees. Some insurance firms can pay for some part of the costs.




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