Doula Stuff

I've also been working this evening on paperwork for our doula, KP.

I emailed her earlier today to let her know that she's got the gig, and now we have to sign the agreement, fill out the intake form and send that to her, along with a check for half of her fee, as a retainer (the rest is due after the birth).

The big part of that, of course, is filling out the intake form, which is all essay questions! My handwriting is so crappy that I just retyped her form, along with my answers, so that took a while.

I was able to answer most of the questions, but there are a few that are specifically for Shrike, as well. As soon as she answers those and signs the agreement, I'll put that off in the mail and we'll be good to go with her.

To better answer some of the questions that people (Anonymama) have had about what a doula is and does, here's a bit from the agreement that she gave us:

What is a Doula?
As a doula, I accompany women during their pregnancy and labor to ensure a satisfying birth experience. I have received training with the DONA (Doulas of North America) organization, and have had experience with natural childbirth, Cesarean sections, vaginal birth after Cesarean, and medication births. I draw on my knowledge and experience to provide emotional support, physical comfort, and positive communication among your birthing team. I encourage education and making informed decisions during the birth of your baby. I can provide reassurance to you and your partner, making suggestions to encourage labor progression, and can help with relaxation, massage, positioning and other techniques for comfort. I am independent and self-employed. As your doula, I am working for you, not your caregiver or the hospital.

As a Doula, I Do Not

• Perform medical tasks, such as blood pressure, fetal heart checks and vaginal exams.
• Give medical advice.
• Make decisions for you.
• Speak to the staff instead of you, regarding matters where decisions are being made.

And here are some of the questions / answers from the intake form:

What is your present belief about how labor and birth should be?
This has already been a highly medically managed pregnancy, and I am comfortable continuing with that through delivery, if needed, but given my choice, I would like my labor and birth to be as natural as possible, with as few medical interventions as possible.

I’d like to preserve my mobility during labor, and to avoid interventions and monitoring that would prevent that. I’d like to avoid an epidural or other pain relief medications, but may choose to use them, if I feel I need them.

However, that is only my ideal vision, and I have no major objection to interventions, as needed, to insure both my and Peeper’s health and safety.

Have you decided to invest in childbirth education classes? If so, which kind (Lamaze, Bradley, Hypnobirthing, Birthing From Within)?
OurTown Hospital childbirth class, with supplemental instruction from you, as discussed, to include relaxation and other coping techniques from Bradley and other methods.

What caused you to choose the type of classes you did? Does your partner attend also?
Your advice; want to be familiar with the hospital’s procedures and policies, but also want the additional skills that we would learn in a Bradley class, “edited” to those that will be useful to us in a hospital setting. We will both be attending the classes.

Describe your ideal birth.
See above. Also, see draft of birth plan, enclosed. I understand that you don’t advise that we present this to our doctors as a written document [she says they tend to react a bit defensively to that] but I've completed it as a starting point for our discussions with you about how we’d like to see things go during labor.

Who would be present and what would they be doing?
In addition to you, my partner, Shrike, will be present throughout. Her mother and sister may be present during labor and possibly during delivery, depending on hospital policy.

What do you see as your partner's role in the birth process?
To provide me with emotional and physical comfort and support.

What factors influenced you to choose a doula?
Neither of us has done this before, and we want the guidance of someone who’s trained to know what kinds of things we can do to make labor go as smoothly as possible.

What are your expectations of your doula during labor and birth?
To advise and direct both of us as to how Shrike can best support me during labor. To suggest techniques or strategies to try for pain management and / or to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of my labor. After birth, I would appreciate breastfeeding support, as well.

What comforts you when you are upset or under stress?
Physical touch (gentle back rubbing, for example) and comforting words.

What kinds of music or scents would be comforting to you during labor?
I don’t think I would like any specific scents, and would probably find that annoying. I would like to have music available, and we plan to put together a mix of songs that are meaningful to us.

What are your greatest fears about this pregnancy or birth?
My greatest fear, of course, is for Peeper’s health and safety. Beyond that, I’m primarily apprehensive about the actual pain of labor itself.

There's more, of course, but some of it is boring and some of it has already been fully blogged, and some will be blogged later.