FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a doula?
A doula nurtures and supports a birthing person (and partner) during their pregnancy, birth and early postpartum period. A doula’s role is to give continuous emotional, physical and practical supporting to a birthing person and her partner during labour and birth, and she also helps to facilitate the pregnant person’s right to informed consent and choice. The beautiful thing about a doula’s role is that she follows the journey of the pregnant person and lets her take the lead. She holds no judgement in any way. A doula will provide this support whether medical pain relief is wanted or not, and regardless of where (hospital, birth centre or at home) the birthing person decides to give birth.
Pregnancy, birth and the early postpartum period are intense physical and emotional transformational experiences. The support of a doula can help support this crucial and life changing transition from pregnancy to parenthood. Both the birthing person and her partner can benefit from the gentle, nurturing care of a doula. It means that everyone in the family feels supported and can enjoy labour to its full capacity.
How could you benefit from the services of a doula?
Studies show that when a doula attends a birth, labours are shorter, there’s a decreased use of pain medication and a greater likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth. My goal is for the birthing person I’m supporting to have an informed birth with choices, whether it be at home, at a birth centre or in the hospital.
The doula serves a unique role in the birth team formed around the birthing person. Often the doula-client relationship is more personal than that of the other care providers. During prenatal sessions, a trust-relationship has been built, and the doula is often the most informed and aware of the birthing person’s wishes, needs and personal circumstances. She is contracted by the client, and not part of the medical team. This gives her a great opportunity and responsibility to facilitate communication between the birthing person and her care providers, if needed. There is great benefit that a doula does not hold medical responsibility; it means she can be calmly present in situations of stress, and can serve as an oxytocin enhancer, taking care of the mother and ensuring she feels comfortable, safe, and supported, so she can have the best possible birth experience.
Can you share some stats around that?
In 2017, Bohren et al. published an updated Cochrane review on the use of continuous support for women during childbirth.
The researchers found that overall, people who have continuous support from a doula - not a member of hospital staff and not a person from their social network - during childbirth experience a:
39% decrease in the risk of Caesarean
15% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
10% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
Shorter labors by 41 minutes on average
38% decrease in the baby’s risk of a low five minute Apgar score
31% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience
Source: Evidence Based Birth
What is HYPNOBIRTHING?
HypnoBirthing is a method of birth education that guides and assists birthing women and their partners as they prepare to experience birth in a peaceful and extraordinarily beautiful manner. It is a programme that considers the psychological and spiritual, as well as physical, well-being of the mother, her birth partner and the newborn infant, independent of context, whether that be at home, a hospital or a birth centre.
is hypnobirthing flexible and can everyone benefit?
Of course! The Mongan HypnoBirthing Method, which I trained in, is built upon an educational framework of self-understanding, breathing techniques, relaxation, visualisation and meditative practise. It fosters an air of mutual respect for the birthing family, as well as the healthcare provider in a traditional health-care system or a complementary setting. The beautiful thing about HypnoBirthing is that it offers women an opportunity to explore birthing possibilities that are available to them and, in the absence of special circumstances, to step into a birthing experience that most clearly matches their birth vision and wishes.
Is HypnoBirthing only beneficial for those planning a non-medicated, homebirth?
HypnoBirthing guides mothers as they align with their own innate capacity to be able to give birth gently, comfortably, powerfully and joyfully, whether that be a vaginal or a Caesarean birth. HypnoBirthing does not profess to offer preparation for births that are totally free of pain, discomfort or unanticipated incidents. But instead my HypnoBirthing course is about offering women an opportunity to explore the possibility of stepping into their birth without fear or stress.