Dad's and Doulas

A lot of birthing women and their partners have the fear that hiring a doula will be redundant.  They may also feel that a doula will “take the place” of Dad and he will no longer have a leading role in support.  Dads can feel hurt that their partner doesn’t trust them and they may worry that a doula’s presence may interfere with the intimacy of the birth experience.

Be assured that a doula will never replace the father’s role during birth.  Doulas compliment the birth partner and together they are able to provide an amazing support team for the mother.  Birth can often be an overwhelming event for many fathers – Since fathers were brought into labor and delivery in the 1960's and 1970's  often times they were the only support person available to the mother, they are to remember everything from childbirth preparation classes, physically and emotionally support the mother, and take care of themselves all while experiencing the birth of their child too! This is an overwhelming task for even the most well informed father to be.  When a doula is present, she can offer her expertise to help lessen some of the pressure on Dad so that he can more effectively support the birthing mother. 

These are just a few ways a doula can assist the father during the birthing process.
  • Offer breaks and make sure that the birth partner’s needs are met alongside the birthing mother’s 
  • Reassure the father of the mother's progress as labor stages develop.
  • Provide suggestions/hints to the birth partner for different comfort techniques to use depending on how comfortable the laboring mother is
  • Offer an extra set of hands for massage, counter pressure, and other comfort measures that can be physically demanding
  • Help to interpret what stage of labor the birthing mother may be in and offer suggestions accordingly
  • Answer questions and reassure both the mother and her partner that what they are experiencing during labor is normal 
The dad and the doula work adjunctly to provide an overwhelmingly strong support system for the duration of the birthing process. This is one of the many reasons why when interviewing a doula, it is important to ensure that the father to be is also comfortable with your selection as he and your chosen doula will be working in harmony to fulfill the mothers birth vision.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Delaying baby's first bath

After the birth, usually the baby is kind of messy. While bringing baby into the world is neither easy or clean work, a lot of the 'messy' stuff remaining on the baby is quite useful for the early moments in life and bonding. Typically once baby is delivered, and placed on mama's chest, a gentle wipe down or towel off is sufficient for a while. Delaying the bath can increase the start of breastfeeding. The vernix and amniotic fluid left on baby provides cues to the mother's brain to begin producing milk/colostrum. Additionally the immediate placement of baby onto moms chest can promote early breast feeding cues, again due to the powerful scents of birth and our olfactory recognition.  Aside from a beautiful beginning to breast feeding, bathing too soon may lower the infants temperature. Even when warm water is used, studies have show. The temperature can decrease up to 3 degrees. Infants are not fully able to regulate their own temperature until about 72 hours of life...
Read more

Patience and Pregnancy

Image
In the beginning of a pregnancy, it's all so new and exciting. There are all of those 'firsts', hearing the baby's heartbeat, getting that much anticipated sonogram, even those early midwife/OB visits seem to bring on their own special brand of anticipatory excitement. Then that last trimester sneaks right up on us. With the frequent bathroom breaks, seemingly endless cups of water, and aches and pains that go along with growing a human being start to catch up and take a small toll. Many of us 'mothers to be' in that space have a universal feeling of the never ending pregnancy. So, how exactly does one cope with the anxious waiting game associated with the last few weeks, and sometimes, those extra days beyond the prescribed 'due date'? Having patience in pregnancy can be a tall order in the end...take it from me, I was beyond 42 weeks when my little one decided it was time. The first and best way to handle all that antsy pantsy-ness is pure distracti...
Read more

The birth of Paige

Image
Meeting my sweet daughter would prove to be no easy task...I certainly waited for a long time to have a daughter, so it seemed fitting. She was due in late May of 2015 but decided to get here a bit closer to her brother's birthday of May 16th. So that is where we shall begin... We had just wrapped up my son's Car themed birthday party. He turned 3 that Saturday, it was May 16th. It was nice to celebrate his birthday on his actual birthday this year! We started the day seeing our midwife in the morning and then setting up for the festivities. All things Paige related were looking good, my previous birth (the little guy we were celebrating) was an overwhelming 43 weeks! So we were in for the long haul this go around as well. She certainly had other plans. So as we said our goodbye's to our family and friends that Saturday we reluctantly agreed to let our now 3 year old leave his celebration decorations up until we moved. You see we were also moving in less than a week, so w...
Read more