Rerun: What Even Is a Doula?
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Transcript
This is episode number two in our series of repeat episodes. So we're re -releasing some of our favorite episodes, some of the episodes you have listened to the most. This happens to be the very first episode that we ever had on the podcast, and it is talking about what even is a doula.
And I know that might be kind of silly, but it is one of our most listened to episodes. What is a doula and why should you have one? Like why does it matter for pregnant families to have you? Now, if you're a doula and you're like, obviously I know what we are and why we should be used, I still want you to listen to this because it is honestly a wealth of knowledge of how you can explain your work to people and how you can explain the benefit of having you at your birth.
So I hope you enjoy it and I can't wait to hear it. Welcome to doula tips and tips. This podcast is a place where we answer one question about doula work, both to support you and to help you support your clients.
I'm Kaylee Harrod. I've been supporting families in this perinatal space since my oldest was born, 12, nearly 13 years ago. I am a birth and postpartum doula childbirth educator, Lale Chely leader, and a doula coach.
I love guiding and supporting doulas as they work out their doula business. It is a tremendous joy to be trusted in this way. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Hello and welcome to Kaylee Daily, the podcast about all things doula tips and tips.
I am Kaylee Harrod, your host. I am also a doula childbirth educator, a mom of three. So I have 11 years of experience on this parenting journey and a wife to my best friend. And I am the creator and the author of the birth prep blueprint, which is holistic, comprehensive, birth education and preparation.
So this podcast is going to serve the purpose of answering questions that people have about birth, postpartum, feeding, fertility, all of that kind of stuff. As a disclaimer, I am not your medical provider.
And so this is not to be considered medical advice. This is education and entertainment only. So please consult with your actual medical team about your own health. So this podcast will aim to answer questions that people have.
And I'm taking questions from clients and students. I've helped hundreds of families navigate pregnancy and birth and postpartum. But you're also welcome to send me questions. You can do that on Instagram.
You can do that on Facebook. You can actually just email me. All of my contact information and my social ways to connect with me on social is in the show notes or in the description below. Also make sure you subscribe so that you see new episodes.
This is episode number one. So to get us started, I am of course, starting with the very basic question of... What is a doula? What does a doula do? What is a doula about? And so I want to go into that because a lot of people ask me that question.
So to get started, what is a doula? How are we different from a midwife? How are we different from a labor and delivery nurse? What is our unique role in a pregnancy or postpartum or during a labor? So we as doulas provide emotional, physical, spiritual, practical, educational support in pregnancy, in birth, and in postpartum.
Now one major way that's different from everybody else on the team is that we are not medical support. So it's different from a midwife or a nurse or an OB or a pediatrician because or a lactation consultant, right?
Because we are not medical professionals and so I would never be taking your blood pressure or putting an IV in or any of that kind of stuff, right? I'm also not catching your baby. Hopefully you're catching your baby or maybe your midwife or your OB is catching your baby.
So it's a non -medical role on the team but we do provide a continuity and a like lovely predictable part of your support when you're giving birth in a place where you're not necessarily going to know who's going to be there.
So this is especially a key factor if you're giving birth out of your home. So in a birth center or in a hospital then you will not necessarily know the team who's there at the time of delivery but your doula is someone that you've already established relationship with.
The other thing that we do is help you figure out what you even want and need in the midst of birth because one of the big things is that you don't know what your options are, right? And you don't know what your options should be or what you can say yes or no to, what you can ask for without some experienced advice and information behind that.
So that's part of what we do as well. Why do you need a doula or who needs a doula is a whole different matter, right? But I would say who needs a doula is everyone. Now I will give the caveat here that doulas at the moment are mostly independently hired and not covered by insurance.
So I firmly and wholly live in the space that doula care is not accessible to everyone because not everyone can afford doula care. There are lots of awesome programs and initiatives in place right now that are trying to get doula coverage to more families who are not able to afford it on their own.
Now I actually have an ability on my website for you to donate to such a cause because I provide labor and education support to families who are on Medicaid and I do that at no cost to the family so the donations help sustain my ability to do that.
So that's one way you can support that if you would like folks to be able to have a doula. But a doula is not only for someone who is planning an unmedicated birth, right? It's not only for someone who's planning a home birth.
It's not only for someone who's having a vaginal delivery. Our role is education, reassurance, and information in pregnancy and so that really pertains to everybody who's pregnant and anybody who's giving birth.
Obviously, logistically labor support looks different for someone who's having a home birth that's unmedicated versus someone who's having a hospital birth or someone who's giving birth via cesarean, right?
So those are three different game plans. They're three different birth plans. They're three different kinds of preparation but all of them are within the wheelhouse of what a doula does in terms of support.
Now one of the biggest things I think personally as a doula we are really helpful for is navigating the process of labor as it plays out because one of the big things you don't know before you have a baby is how your labor will go exactly and there are just some unexpected bits that come up in almost all labors.
So as those come up rather than you having learned or prepared for any possible twist and turn you have a professional on your team that can help you navigate those things as they come. This is especially important if you're with a hospital system that has a bunch of providers or a number of nurses and you don't necessarily know who your provider or nurse will be on the day of delivery.
Now what kind of birth do we support? I kind of already answered that. We think doula support should be incredibly unbiased meaning that I don't come to your birth expecting you to be medicated or unmedicated.
I come expecting to support your decision making in that process whether or not your original plan was one or the other right. That's something to be sure to ask a doula if you're interviewing doulas because some doulas do feel most comfortable at one kind of birth or another.
I mean if you are not yet in labor you don't really know how your birth is going to go and so knowing that you have a doula who is willing and capable to support you in any twist and turn I think is a really important factor.
So that is the answer to today's question of what's a doula, who's a doula, why have a doula, all of those things. I obviously am incredibly biased towards us because I am a doula myself but as a person actually who gave birth without doulas because I did not know what a doula was at the time I can speak from experience that without a doula I was not as satisfied with my experience as I would have been with a doula.
I would have gladly had the support of a doula and I think it would have had a tremendous impact on some of the birth trauma that I experienced myself. So anywho that is today's question answered. I would love for you to subscribe so that you keep seeing these episodes.
What you can expect from them is that we'll be diving into one particular topic in a pretty short time frame because I want you to be able to digest these really easily and so we'll be answering different questions.
I'll be like taking questions from folks and you will see episodes about once a week but you know babies come so maybe a little more or a little less depending on how many people are due and how quickly those babies are coming.
Please do subscribe. I would love to hear from you and hear what your thoughts are, what your questions are, what you'd like for me to talk about. Drop a comment below if you're on one of the platforms that allows you to do that or shoot me a quick message on instagram and I will be happy to make an episode with your question.
I wish you happy well informed birthing and I will see you in the next episode. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the doula tips and tips podcast. If you learned something today or had an aha moment we'd love for you to share that on instagram and tag us at hara doula so we can celebrate alongside you.
If you've found this podcast helpful we would so appreciate you taking a second to leave a rating and a review on your favorite podcast app. That helps other doulas find us as we do this work together.
This podcast is intended as educational and entertainment. It is not medical advice or business advice. Please consult your own medical or legal team for your own needs around your health and your business.
We'll see you again soon.
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What is a doula and who needs one? A classic question. Whether you are a pregnant family looking for support or a doula branching into how to answer these questions this episode is for you!
Quote from the show:
“What is a doula and why should you have one? Like why does it matter for pregnant families to have you? Now, if you're a doula and you're like, obviously I know what we are and why we should be used, I still want you to listen to this because it is honestly a wealth of knowledge of how you can explain your work to people and how you can explain the benefit of having you at your birth.”
I mention the ability to book coaching calls with me. Those can be found below:
30 Minute Coaching:
https://calendly.com/harroddoula/doula-coaching-30-minutes?preview_source=et_card&month=2024-06
60 Minute Coaching:
https://calendly.com/harroddoula/doula-coaching-one-off?month=2024-06
CONNECT with Kaely on TikTok or Instagram
https://www.tiktok.com/@doulacoach
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
