It's understandable that you might have some questions about HypnoBirthing, and Doula support services especially if the concept is new to you. I've created a list of frequently asked questions and their responses. If you have any further questions, please send me an email at contact@karunadoula.com or send a note through the contact page, and I'll try my best to respond ASAP.
What is a doula?
It takes a village to raise a child, as the saying goes. Since the beginning of time, pregnant women, birthing women, and women with newborns/children have received the assistance of more experienced women. In Greek, the word "doula" means "a woman who helps," and a doula is a professional who assists mothers with physical, emotional, and informational needs, as well as directing them to appropriate services. Her love, care, and advocacy, most significantly, empower women and their partners during their life-changing pregnancy and birth journey.
What do Doulas do?
Birth Doulas not only help parents achieve a positive and safe birth experience, they:
Meet and form prenatal relationship with parents
Assist in creating the parents’ birth vision/birth plan
Provide continuous emotional, physical (non-medical) and informational support throughout pregnancy labor & birth
Work with your partner during labor to keep both parents calm, supported and nurtured
Suggest different laboring and birthing positions during the course of labor
Boost parents’ confidence allowing them to be empowered when voicing their needs and wants to the medical team
Advocate the parents’ choices
Aid with initial breastfeeding and questions
Make referrals to medical professionals upon requests/as needed
How is the Doula any different from my partner?
Doulas frequently work with your partner because an additional pair of hands is always needed during labor and delivery! When the spouse has to eat, snooze, use the toilet, or just get some fresh air, the mother is never left alone with the Doula's help.
The most beneficial benefit of employing a doula, according to most parents, is that they may benefit from the doula's extensive knowledge in pregnancy, birth, and baby care. The wealth of knowledge a doula has accumulated from attending several births can be a great resource for parents.
While your spouse may know everything there is to know about you, the doula knows everything there is to know about delivery!
What’s the difference between doulas and midwives?
A doula is a professional who provides delivery support in both the hospital and at home. She is not a nurse or a midwife, and she does not undertake any clinical activities such as testing the baby's heart rate or performing internal checks to gauge the progress of labor. Nurse-midwives are employed by the hospital and are responsible for numerous women at once, whereas a doula is hired by you and is completely accountable for you and your partner.
What is HypnoBirthing?
HypnoBirthing is a framework for understanding that your body is intended to give birth, and when you practice HypnoBirthing, you discover how each of the muscles works, and how each surge, or contraction, is progressing you toward having a baby. It's essentially a set of easy yet effective mind-body relaxation techniques for releasing fear and increasing confidence in your natural capacity to give birth through visualization, breathing, and positioning exercises. It educates you on what happens in your body during labor, and how you can best assist your body's natural functions.
What effect does stress have on the pregnant mother?
Fear triggers the fight-or-flight reaction, which causes stress hormones called catecholamines to obstruct digestion, speed up metabolism, force blood to the arms and legs, and eventually limit blood supply to the uterus, causing uterine pain and hindering birth. Maternal stress during pregnancy is harmful to both the mother and the child. It can result in premature births, small-for-date births, longer labor, and more difficult and painful labor, increasing the likelihood of requiring medical interventions. It will also have an impact on the child's cognitive, behavioral, and emotional development. The stress hormone cortisol is toxic to the baby's brain. Therefore, as a birth doula and childbirth educator, I only want to recommend scientifically proven techniques and evidence-based information to my clients, and the results have been outstanding. Those of my clients who practiced specific breathing and relaxation techniques, or hired a birth doula during pregnancy had, on average, easier pregnancies, shorter labors, and required fewer interventions. In fact, I don't recall having to go through a caesarean section (for failure to progress in labor) on any of my birthing clients.
What if I have more questions?
We’d be happy to schedule a Free 30 minute consultation call to go over your questions and concerns. Please Contact us and we will work with you to set up a meeting time.