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This is a brilliant service, hopefully the other health care providers will come on board soon, it makes sense. A calm experience = less intervention so lower cost.
Are there any gentlebrith workshops on around the Drogheda area next year, they would be a good way to get people used to the idea of a doula to help them make a decision.
Great stuff Tracy….
I’m so excited to be getting back to Doula work in January now that Cooper is getting a bit bigger.
I do most of my work in the Lourdes but also cover the Dublin area when needed. In a nutshell the Doula ‘effect’ is similar to what GentleBirth/hypnobirthing does – less fear = reduction in the stress response and an increase in the hormones that facilitate a faster birth (but its ‘live’ rather than a CD) 😀
The benefits of Doula care speak for themselves.
26% reductionin cesarean rates
18% caesarean births with no Doula compared to 8% with a Doula25% shorter labours
In the ‘no Doula’ group oxytocin drip use was 16% compared to 2% in the Doula group (Guatemala study)
In the Houston study 44% of Mothers were augmented with oxytocin compared with 17% in the Doula group.28% reductions in epidural requests
30% reduction in analgesia use
In the Houston study only 12% gave birth naturally (no Doula). Mothers with a Doula gave birth naturally 55% of the time.41% reduction in forceps deliveries
26% forceps deliveries in the non Doula group – 8% in the Doula group
Mums who have a doula are less likely to suffer from PND and are more likely to breastfeed successfully.
Although the Dublin hospitals still prefer Mums to have one birth partner there’s usually no problem with us swapping in and out with Dad if you get it ok’d ahead of time. The Lourdes is very supportive. Generally Mum feels happy to stay home much longer and arrives in to the hospital in good active labour and Dad can be involved to his comfort level.
Would love to answer any questions any Mumstown Mum’s to be have!
Roll on January!!
Tracy
Author of The Better Birth Book and The Irish Caesarean and VBAC Guide
Some Mums had asked if there was any reimbursement from VHI etc for Doula cover. At the moment Aviva are the only company who promote the use of Doulas (less caesareans means less expenses for them) From January you’ll be able to have the support of a Doula for only 300 Euro after reimbursement – this also covers my GentleBirth workshop.
The Lourdes in Drogheda is very supportive of Doula’s but in the Dublin hospitals Mums would need to get permission ahead of time to have 2 birth partners.
Hope everyone is staying warm!!
Tracy
This may be a silly question but I don’t actually understand what a Doula is or how it works. Where could I get more information please?
Hi Mary,
Doulas are relatively new to Ireland and there’s only a handful of us attending births at the moment. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds from student Midwives to pilots! The doula essentially helps the couple have the best experience possible – especially if they are planning a natural birth. We usually meet up with Mum and Dad a couple of times before the birth to talk about the kind of birth you want and come up with a plan to achieve as much as possible. When labour starts we come to your home and help you stay comfortable at home and then make the transition to the hospital a lot more relaxed. We’re a friendly face with you throughout the entire labour from home to hospital and back again (chances are you won’t have met your Midwife before).
Our focus is 100% on you and your partner having the most positive experience possible – although the Midwives would like to be able to provide all the support a Mum needs often the clinical care and paperwork/documentation comes first. We have none of those responsibilities. We stay with you throughout (no shift changes for us). We then visit you at home to help you with breastfeeding or just helping you to find your feet as a new Mum.
We don’t replace the partner but help him stay as involved as he is comfortable with. My own husband is the biggest Doula fan – I had a Doula myself when Jack was born in hospital and when I had a Doula when Cooper was born in May (at home). It really took the pressure off my husband so he was able to relax and enjoy the experience a lot more.
We compliment the care you’re receiving from your Midwives (the Midwives are always delighted with the extra help too).
If a Mum is planning a natural birth then to have someone with her who has had a natural birth themselves encouraging her and supporting her is such an advantage. Depending on the Doula most of us are very familiar with various complimentary techniques for helping with labour such as acupressure points, hypnosis (GentleBirth), position recommendations etc and we can help you navigate the Irish maternity system so you avoid routine unnecessary interventions.
HTH
Tracy
Hi Sabbi,
My next workshop is at the City North hotel on Jan 15 & 16 but we’re having a meet up in the lobby at 7pm on Wed Dec 29th. It’s a great opportunity to meet up with other GentleBirth Mums/Dads and kids 🙂
The Irish Times did an interview with one of my GentleBirth clients last week so hopefully it’ll be in the health supplement tomorrow.
Tracy
Thanks very much Tracey, definately seems like something I’ll be looking into anyway. I’ve already had a natural birth with my nine year old but anything to help my partner feel more at ease would be wonderful.
Sadly, Dads are often overlooked in all things pregnancy/birth – and they have such an important role. Some Dads are quite happy to stay in the background but there are lots of Dads who really wish they knew what to do to support their partner more.
This is a new video from the organisation I train Doulas for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u792CxDT7cE
Tracy
Sounds lovely to be able to help and support women/men through the birth of their babies. I remember on my 2nd baby I had my husband in with me but really needed my mum..I felt I needed someone who was confident about childbirth (she had 6 children) and who wasn’t scared or nervous about the whole process. I was really scared on my second child but was so determined to breath my way through it…and it does work. 🙂 Every time I stopped breathing to talk I felt the pain so much more. I couldn’t have done it without knowing my Mum was there watching me and looking out for me. She was in my corner so to speak and it meant I could concentrate on having the baby, not worrying about what was going on around me. I suppose she was my ‘Doula’ but I know I was lucky to have someone who was confident and knew how to support me.
Definately agree Dads can be a bit left out, not because they want to be, but because everyone assumes they will ‘just know’ what to do naturally. But though childbirth is a very natural process we all need the support of someone as it takes so much out of us.
Great to see women and men being so supported at a very important time in their lives.
Tracy,
If you are around tomorrow maybe you could pop into the Bagel Bar in laurence town centre for a bit and if any of the mums-to-be there have questions they can put them to you and find out a bit more about the gentle birth classes.
its a great thing you do – your book is why we had a home birth on baby number 3 so hopefully you’ll get lots of parent-to-be at your classes 😀
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