when does a doula usually join during a birth?
-
Kaely Harrod 0:03
As promised, we are starting today with a shout out. This shout out goes to Allison. Allison is one of my new doula mentor participants that I'm super pumped about. And her question that I'm answering today is when does a doula usually join during a birth?
Kaely Harrod 0:30
Hello, and welcome back. So this question is doula specific birth doula specific, but can be helpful to both a doula or to a family who has religious to have realistic expectations of when that doula might join you when you're in the midst of labor? Now, if you are new here, you might not know that many of the answers are, it depends. And today is no different. So when a doula typically joins during a labor, depends a bit on the labor, how it's playing out, right on your history of birth, if this is not your first time giving birth, of a person's desires and package, etc, right. So there's lots of different factors. In general, when we're thinking about keeping oxytocin really nice and high, and normalizing the early labor part, part of what we want to do is keep you sort of undisturbed, right? And what I mean, when I say that is having you in as much of your kind of natural environment as possible, so that you don't have extra sort of interruptions or extra, not typical things there. Right? Think about, like, if you would be watching a movie, maybe in like pajama pants and curled up on the couch. But if someone's coming over, maybe you put on something different, maybe not right? In labor, obviously, you might not be. But also, you might be like, well, you don't typically see me in my pajama pants, right? Or in my underwear, or whatever it is that you're laboring in. And so it's kind of along those same lines. So we want a person in early labor, to be both cozy and full of oxytocin. And also to normalize the fact that this part of labor is the easiest portion. Now, when I say that, I do not say that every single labor is super easy at the beginning, right? Because that is not the case. And I don't mean to gaslight, anyone who has had a really challenging early labor stage. Okay. So just in general, I'm saying that, that, if we're talking about like a normally progressing labor, we want that stage to be as undisturbed as possible. We'll be right back after this message from our sponsor. The birth prep blueprint course is a guide from pregnancy to postpartum, giving you the competence to walk through this journey. However, it might play out. It is pre recorded on demand content. So you do not have to fit your busy schedule around a class or meeting time. You can go back and revisit the lessons as much as you need to. And you can watch or listen to them on your own time. This curriculum has left many families feeling confident in their decisions, knowing what questions to ask their providers, and knowing when they should be concerned in all of these periods. One of the biggest parts of this work in terms of preparing families and walking through this journey is knowing that you have a guide to rely on. And that's exactly what this class is. Students have told me they felt like I was walking them along a path to know what to watch for and what to not be worried about. Because you are here as a listener, you'll get the opportunity to have a 10% off discount on this class. That code is podcast. It is in the show notes as well along with the link to use to check out for the class, I do really recommend that you go give it a look. Because it is going to make you feel more prepared, calm and confident for your birthing experience. And now back to our episode. So if we're thinking about wanting to keep that early part of labor undisturbed, what naturally kind of follows from that is having a doula typically join you after that point, right? Which means when you're sort of getting towards the more active stage of labor, now you might know this about me maybe you don't know this about me. I do not love how we distinguish the phases of the first stage of labor. And if you're like, wait a second, there are stages and phases and what is happening, then I strongly recommend that you take a childbirth class if you're currently pregnant. And also, I will maybe do a follow up episode on what those things even are. So, so in the first stage of labor, there are three phases, we generally kind of parse them out as early labor, active labor, and transition. I have a few issues with these, which is not what this episode is fully about. One issue is that sometimes they're really easy to distinguish, sometimes not, depending on how labor is playing out. And so in general, you want to sort of have a doula join you if you are a doula you want to try to join closer to active labor in most cases. However, that's not a perfect thing, right. So it is not perfectly possible to tell when that is all the time unless you have a play by play of the cervix, which I don't recommend, right. And also, just because you get there at five centimeters, doesn't mean you're not going to be there for a long time, or you don't still have a long time left in the labor, right? So there's lots lots of caveats here, as you can hear, as we're talking this through a few factors to think about is one, you want your doula with you. Or if you're a doula, you want to be present with your clients, when they need your support, right. Which means if you can give some guidance or position changes or encouragement virtually, and can like hang out with your family and eat and rest, before you go in, that's actually a really good use of your time. Because then when things like transition and pushing and the postpartum period are happening, you can actually be fresh help for them rather than beings, another kind of exhausted person in the room, right? So that's one thing to think about. The other thing is that like, leaving people undisturbed portion that I just talked about. On the flip side, there are some scenarios in which I as a doula think about arriving early and have kind of a custom plan, right? These are some of those scenarios. One is when someone has significant past trauma, or history of loss. Now, this is kind of a case by case scenario, right? Not every person who's experienced a pregnancy loss or a baby loss, or just significant trauma of other types, wants constant support in person, right? So not everyone is going to say, I really want you here as early as possible. But certainly that is sometimes wanted and needed in that scenario, that sort of a very unique birth situation, right? Because you're also mentally and emotionally and physically as the doula preparing for that kind of Marathon birth experience, right. And ideally, you're prepping your client, like, Hey, I'm gonna join you really early. And therefore, I might need to, like take a nap at some point, right, or I'm definitely pausing for meals, which that is going to be its own episode, because too many doulas starve themselves during a birth, which is what I did at the beginning as well. But it is not a good and sustainable thing to do to yourself to your body, or helpful to you as you're working. So clearly a soapbox of mine. So that won't be its own show. But, but I want you to think about kind of having that conversation ahead of time, so that there are realistic expectations in that situation. What I sometimes tell clients is, I sometimes I'm with clients for a really long time, when that's the case, I have to nap, I have to eat, I have to et cetera. And they of course, are understanding and expect that that is the case.
Kaely Harrod 9:24
The other thing is that when I have a client who has a history of fast Labor's or fast progression at the end of labor, I usually join way sooner than I would normally join in part because everything might change really quickly. So that's another scenario that kind of falls a little outside of the range of normal and also would warrant its own custom plan. Okay, so I hope that was helpful. I am super excited that Alison gave me this question and I would love to get a question from you. If you head over to Instagram at Herat doula, so H A R R O D. D Oula? Then send me a message there. Let me know, maybe which of these episodes is your favorite? And also what question I can answer and add to my list for the 2023 podcast year. All right, until next time, I wish you well informed consent filled birthing experiences. So all of this information is intended to be educational and entertainment. Please use it as such. And if you have questions about your own medical health, or need recommendations from your own provider, please do speak to them. This is not intended to replace them in any way. We are so happy that you are here joining us in this walk through pregnancy postpartum and lactation, please take a second to like and subscribe, leave a positive review. That is how other families get to hear about us and get to learn from all the answers that we have here on this podcast. As always, I would really love to connect with you. I love answering questions. I know that you know that because you are here, but I would love to hear what your questions are. So if I have not yet answered them on the podcast, I would love to add them to the list of questions to be answered. please do reach out to me on Instagram or via email Kaely at Herat, doula services.com so that I can answer whatever question you have, and so that I can hear the feedback that you have about the podcast. Until we meet again, I wish you well informed consent filled birth and postpartum experiences
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Whether you are a doula trying to set expectations for yourself and your clients or a pregnant family trying to determine what’s normal, today’s episode is for you! Doulas all function a bit differently, so as always there’s some nuance to today’s answer. When a doula joins their clients during birth depends on a number of factors.
It’s important to remember that there’s no magical way to know when the perfect time to join is. I wish it were that easy. In general, when a doula is joining super early it is often due to imposter syndrome and feeling as if you need to prove something or be overly validated. I do not say that lightly because I have healthy doses of imposter syndrome from time to time myself!
Key Takeaways:
Usually supporting virtually in early labor and then in person when things are more active is a good strategy
This allows for the family to have optimal help during the most crucial times from a well-rested doula
There are scenarios when a doula should consider joining sooner and those are highlighted in the episode!
A big part of this work is learning when to adapt your norm, and that’s important for this topic as well!
Please take a second to fill out the following quiz (it’s literally 1 question - no need to even give your email!)
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/podcast-audience-quiz
CONNECT with Kaely on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
This podcast is hosted by the Birth Prep Blueprint - comprehensive Childbirth Education for expectant parents to feel calm, prepared and confident about labor and birth. Podcast listeners (that’s YOU!) get 10% off! Use the link below and coupon code PODCAST
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/birth-prep-blueprint
** The Birth Prep Blueprint is offered for only $20 to anyone who qualifies for any kind of social services (meaning that a family has a lower income to the point that they would qualify for WIC or SNAP or Medicaid, etc.). No need to disclose your income, just which service you qualify for and the link can be sent right over. Just email kaely@harroddoulaservices.com to learn more.
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
