The birth of your child is one of the most important days in your life. Having a supportive birth team is an important factor in having a positive birth experience. Some member of your birth team you are able to choose and others you are not. Our suggestion is to be deliberate when selecting the members of your birth team who you have control over. Making sure that all members of your chosen birth team are supportive of your birth preferences is a big step towards having a satisfying experience. One member of your birth team who you are able to choose is your doula. As when choosing your medical provider, it is important to take your time when choosing a birth doula in Dutchess County NY.

Choosing a Birth Doula in Dutchess County NY

Let’s go over some key points to consider when you’re choosing a birth doula in Dutchess County NY.

Choose a doula who has back up

Like labor, life is unpredictable. Your doula should be able to tell you who will be attending your birth in the event that she is unavailable because situations do arise. We have taken it one step further. By providing each of our clients with a team of two doulas who share a call schedule, Blissful Birthing takes away the guess work of which doula will be supporting you. Both of your doulas will be present at your birth planning prenatal. You can be confident that your doulas know your birth preferences so they can best support you when the big day arrives. We don’t want our clients wondering who might be attending their birth, so you will be provided with an on-call schedule for the weeks surrounding your due date.

Find a doula who supports medicated deliveries, inductions, and cesarean births – even if that’s not in your plan

Regardless of how you are envisioning your baby’s birth to unfold, you want a doula who can support you. As we’ve said, birth is unpredictable. You don’t want to feel judged by your doula if your plan changes – whether due to circumstances or your own preference. Sometimes you want or need an epidural/labor augmentation/cesarean delivery and our doulas can support you through those situations (whether part of your original plan or not).

Ask your doula about her birth philosophy

The one thing you do not have to worry about when hiring Blissful Birthing is hiring a doula who brings her personal agenda into your birthing space. Our doulas have a common birth philosophy – we don’t have one. Our professional doulas’ one goal is to support you in a way that is meaningful and helpful to you. For some of our clients that means helping them birth their baby without the use of an epidural. For other women it means helping them change position after receiving an epidural to help labor continue to progress. We also have clients who want support during a planned induction or cesarean birth. We are so honored to be part of such a variety of births!

During your prenatal visit we will get a better understanding of your hopes and goals so we know how we can best support you (and your partner). Janet, one of our doulas, explains our role perfectly:

Our presence at your birth will allow your primary support person to participate at their comfort level.

We firmly believe that our doulas cannot (and do not) take the place of your partner or other support people.

Choose a doula who offers other services you’re interested in

As parents ourselves, we understand how difficult it can be to invite someone into your space and ask for their help with your new baby. Because of this, we felt it was important to offer a range of services so you – a one-stop shop, if you will. Our doulas are constantly in contact with each other, ensuring a seamless standard of care.

Choose a doula who is honest about her capabilities

Doula are non-medical birth and postpartum professionals. Because of that, there are a some things doulas cannot do, including:

• flip your breach or transverse baby.
• check fetal heart tones.
• replace your OB or midwife.
• prevent you from having a cesarean birth or enable you to have a VBAC.
  • This is important to note. Your doctor or midwife is responsible for the medical aspect of your care; your doula helps with the physical and emotional aspects. At the end of the day, your medical provider is the one who is qualified to make these decisions.
  • We wrote this blog on VBACs to help explain this point better.

Your doula can help you feel supported during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and after your baby is born. This can be accomplished by:

• providing resources regarding different options your care team may present you with, if you wish.
• helping you formulate a fluid birthing plan and understand various interventions so you are prepared for everything.
• being a constant, expected presence during labor.
• encouraging you and your partner.

Where We Work

Our doulas attend births at the following hospitals in Dutchess County NY:

• Kaplan Family Birthing Center at St. Luke’s Cornwall
• Neugarten Family Birth Center at Northern Dutchess Hospital
• Vassar Brothers Medical Center

Other hospitals where we attend births include:

• The Birthing Center at Putnam Hospital
• New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley

 

 

Other Blogs for Families who are Choosing a Birth Doula in Dutchess County NY

Remember Your Nurses!
Hospital “Go” Bag – What do I need to Bring to the Hospital?
Baby Basics

 

This list reflects the beliefs of Blissful Birthing and it’s affiliates. The contents of this article are not medical advice.