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22 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • September 2021 If you or your partner are expecting a baby, you may want to investigate if the support of a doula is right for your family. Jennifer Woodhead, founder of A Mother's Perspective Doula Service, LLC, tell us what a doula does and how doulas can assist no matter what your birth plan is. Woodhead is a DONA certified birth doula and certified Gentle Birth instructor. Her team is made up of professionally trained and certified birth and postpartum doulas. "Doulas offer support to a wide range of clients, whether it be in the hospi- tal setting, an out-of-hospital birth center or a midwife assisted home birth. We have experience in all these settings and tailor our care to fit the spe- cific needs of our clients. Doulas support both medicated and unmedicated births," Woodhead explains. Doulas help prepare expectant parents throughout the journey of pregnancy. They schedule several meetings during the pregnancy to educate parents. Woodhead says, "During these meetings we cover not only a lot of childbirth education but we also explore comfort measures that can be helpful. This includes teaching partners specific ways they can support mom, which gives them valuable 'tools' to use and helps them understand the 'process' of labor. Having a firm understanding of the process, reduces a lot of fear and anxiety, which ultimately reduces pain perception for mom and empowers both mom and partner." Doulas do not deliver babies. They provide education and support and help the patients collaborate with their care providers. Woodland says, "This positive collaboration helps our clients become more effective advocates for themselves. As doulas we do not do anything medical, but we have extensive training that gives us a firm under- standing of key medical issues related to pregnancy and birth. Therefore, we can compliment the healthcare providers by offering our clients the opportunity to ask questions about anything and help them start productive conversations with their doctors. We feel positive communication and collaboration between patients and their doctors is critical, and as doulas we do everything we can to facilitate this." During labor and delivery doulas help support the mother with a variety of tech- niques. Woodland explains, "If you see a doula walking into the hospital headed to Labor & Delivery, you would probably see her wearing a backpack or pulling a suitcase behind her. It's in this bag that doulas carry their 'tools of the trade.' We may have our beloved rebozo, our favorite massage tools, essen- tial oils, flameless candles, a string of Christmas lights, heating pads, honey sticks, affirmation cards, and anything else we can think of to enhance the birthing environment and provide our clients with a wide assortment of comfort measures. We are also carrying our client's well thought out and carefully formulated birth plan that we fully understand and have made a point to memorize." Doulas aren't just there to help if you have a vagi- nal delivery. They can even assist if you require a c-section birth. "Sometimes labor can take an unexpected turn and that's okay. This is why we do so much preparation prior to labor so that par- ents understand that labor is unpredictable but that doesn't mean that these changes derail us. Sometimes a cesarean section is medically neces- sary and the doula is able to transition quickly to modify your birth plan to fit the circumstances. Cesareans can be a beautiful experience too, they don't negate the beauty and miracle of your baby's birth. Doulas are there to help you men- tally & emotionally process the unexpected," says Woodhead. After the birth doulas continue to provide sup- port for the family. "Once the baby is born, the doula is specially trained to help facilitate skin-to- skin contact and help with the first breastfeeding experience. We know how important these first moments are with your new baby and we quietly and respectfully help nurture the bonding process," Woodhead says. Once the new family is home from the hospital, doulas continue to do mommy-baby wellness WRITTEN BY AMY TAYLOR How Doulas Support Parents, Before, During and After Childbirth