Part Two I explained to you how prenatal doula care has been beneficial for Mat at a husband and father. Here we will look at how prenatal doula care has been for me.
In a word, invaluable.
Several times throughout pregnancy there'll be times when your body does something strange or unexpected. Those pesky hormones are going crazy in there messing with the usual order of things. For me, there were plenty of issues that came up that I was unsure about, whether they were normal or not. Instead of having to hold these questions in until my next midwife appointment (or calling their office constantly... & being 'that' patient) I was able to email or call Sarah right away & have someone who had learned all about these things tell me that all was normal and that what I was experiencing wasn't any ill omen or fetal distress.
Furthermore, on the topic of physical aliments during pregnancy, Sarah always had a recommendation of how to relieve the discomforts - though she was also always very careful to remind me that I ought to check with the midwives first.
Aside from the immediate questions about my ever-expanding body, there were also plenty of questions about Squeaker - what was normal, what wasn't, what sort of affect do procedures and tests have on him/her and miscellaneous other things that came up. Two examples come to mind:
First, Squeaker had/has been very active from the start. I never had any 'flutters' it was just out and out kickboxing from 16 weeks on. Then for two day Squeaker was unusually quiet and I began to worry that something may be wrong. I emailed Sarah and she reminded me that just like we would be tired after an active day, so Squeaker might be too. And as I thought back, I realized that there had been a VERY active day (see below). This eased my fears and within a few hours Squeaker was back to his/her regular calisthenics workout.
Second, I was due for dental work (ugh) toward the start of my 3rd trimester and I was worried and unaware if there were any hazards for Squeaker. Sarah reassured me that the procedures I was having done and even the materials being set in my teeth would be of no affect, except that my adrenaline would probably cause Squeaker is be a little jumpier than usual.
This questions and answers relationship has eased a lot of unnecessary fear and spared the busy midwives a lot of annoying phone calls. But there is more to doula care than just having a quick reference for every concern... there is also specialized care, a growing sense of a common goal that our doula has begun to share with us.
For example, a situation has come up recently regarding a concern about whether Squeaker is big enough or gaining enough weight. This concern could lead toward having another ultrasound. By now Sarah knows well our wishes and desires for an unmediated homebirth - and though I didn't contact her regarding this issue, she read about it on this blog and promptly messages me to let me know that ultrasounds are not always accurate and having one done at this point MAY cause unnecessary concern, that may then lead to a hospital birth or even a c-section.
Now this was surprising for me because I didn't know that ultrasounds could be so mistaken and I certainly did/do not want to compromise our birth plans for something that likely not an issue to begin with. Though Sarah herself made no suggestions for either plan of action, she did write:
"I believe that when it comes to decisions around labour & birth, the right decisions for you are the decisions that you are most comfortable with (and sometimes those are not the decisions that are logical, or that your family wants you to make, or that experts say are best). My job is to help ensure you get the information you feel you need to make those decisions, and then support you through them, however the journey unfolds from there."
Mat and I were both very thankful after reading this message to have someone in our corner with this knowledge, who desires our plans and goals to come to be a reality just as much as we want them to.
Finally, Sarah as been able to customize the type of doula care she has been giving is. With her extensive knowledge of all things 'green' & her lending library, Sarah has given us the resources so that we can educate ourselves and continue to grow in knowledge regarding our health, our home and our Squeaker.
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So far prenatally, doula care has been a wonderful, and even life changing encounter for us. If you would like to know more about Sarah and her services, please visit her website: www.embracedoulacare.com
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Please wait for Parts Four and Five where I'll share with you the benefits of doula care postpartum from both Mat's perspective and mine.
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