Well I’m giving a short answer today and I’m answering in the form of a link to a news article featuring… ME!! 🙂
Here it is:
Doulas aim to help women have positive birthing experience
Woohoo! Comment back and let me know what you think!
Cindeka NealyJennifer Land, left, is one of a handful of doulas in the area who work with women during and after pregnancy as well as during labor and delivery. Land has assisted first-time mother Jennifer Watson since her second trimester and even after the birth of her now 4-month-old son Riley. Cindeka Nealy/Reporter-Telegram
Posted: Sunday, January 9, 2011 12:00 am | Updated: 7:27 pm, Thu Jan 6, 2011.Kathleen Thurber
Midland Reporter-Telegram | 0 commentsWhen Jennifer Watson went to the hospital in September to have her baby, she had an ideal picture of how she wanted things to go.The first-time mom was determined to complete the process as naturally as possible and had asked not to be induced, not to receive an epidural and to avoid having a cesarean section at all costs.When her blood pressure spiked and doctors weren’t able to get her son delivered after more than 24 hours of labor, though, Watson consented to a medically necessary C-section.Though Watson’s husband and mom were by her side during the stressful birthing process, when she needed someone to help her work through her options she turned to her doula, Jennifer Land.“She was good at calming me down,” Watson said. “She kept me on track and kept me from panicking.”Providing that extra support, whether in a high-pressure scenario like Watson’s or in a different birth situation, is exactly what Land said she works to do. As one of a handful of doulas in the Permian Basin, Land said she’s a support system for mom.“Women can be in a room full of people in labor and be all alone, there’s no one there for them,” Land said.So whether she’s performing massage techniques to help a new mother relax, encouraging someone through labor or offering assistance to a woman who’s been put on bed rest, Land said she hopes to help her clients enjoy the birthing process.“Each birth is a journey and you learn different things,” Land said.Nationwide there are more than 7,000 birth and postpartum doulas, according to Dona International, and the niche profession is continuing to grow as young moms resolve to enjoy the birthing process as much as possible.Land decided to become a doula after having children of her own.The mother of three had a miscarriage during her first pregnancy, a C-section and natural childbirths and said none of her pregnancies went as planned. But, she said, while her pregnancies weren’t what she’d envisioned, each one also was a learning experience that helped her fall in love with the birthing process.“People can have a good experience,” Land said. “They just need people to speak up for them.”She took the online classes necessary to become a doula, went through childbirth education courses and then attended her first birth in 2007.“A lot of people get doulas confused with midwives,” she said. “We’re just there to provide constructive support.”Watson said when she began searching for a doula, she knew she needed someone with whom she was comfortable. She decided Land was a good fit after the two talked online about “mom issues” and later met in person.Once hired, Land said she’ll typically meet with the family several times before the birth. Together, the group will create a birth plan, helping the mother-to-be learn about her options and making sure she understands things may stray far from the scripted plan. Land also provides the parents with literature, offers support techniques to dad and, when requested, accompanies the couple through childbirth education classes.Some doulas have specialty services such as yoga, massage therapy or breast-feeding education.Some doulas will assist a woman when she is put on bed rest before the birth of her child. Others offer to help new moms adjust after a traumatic labor and delivery. Land said if a woman has gone through a C-section, she sometimes can stop by to help with the baby so the mother has time to recover.During the birth, doulas typically stay with the mother from start to finish.“She didn’t leave until he was in my arms,” Watson said.After her son was born, Watson said she needed help starting to breast-feed and was able to call Land for some pointers.“It’s not all that intuitive or at least to me it wasn’t,” Watson said. “She (Land) came up everyday. I was in contact with her on my phone and she would answer questions.”Land stressed she’s not there to take the place of a spouse, sibling or parent who may attend the birth. However, she said, by being available to the family, she’s able to let the husband be the husband and offer support without having to be the caregiver whenever the nurses or doctor aren’t in the room.Doulas cannot give medical advice and do not speak to doctors on behalf of patients or interfere with hospital staff, Land said.When Watson’s doctor gave her options for medication, Land was willing to research the different medicines and show her studies on their effects on breast-feeding women.“I was just totally overwhelmed and wasn’t being very good at explaining that,” Watson said. “She came to check on us and talked me down again.”Land said she’s grateful she’s able to help and the job is one she feels grateful to be able to do.“I love watching pregnant women become moms because they transform right before me,” Land said.——Kathleen Thurber can be reached at kthurber@mrt.com.——Online:
CP says
Hello!
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Carol
Living Hip Today says
I’m so glad to see doula’s in the news! It’s a shame so many people have never heard of them!
I’m your newest follower from the Bee Friendly Friday Blog Hop! I hope you’ll check out my blog!
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