To Doula or not to Doula?

When we first got pregnant, the one thing I wanted to research right away, was a doula. I knew that I wanted one there for our first child and birth experience. My oldest sister had one with her last of 3 kids and had a natural birth. The research supporting the success of having a natural birth with a doula is enough to convince me it is worth every penny.

I had to convince Gilles that a doula is not a replacement for him. He is my main support, my rock and the one I want by my side through the birth. A doula is simply there to help him, me and remind us of the decisions we intended to make. They've been there, they have experience.

I went through the doula websites in our area of the city as a way to narrow down the search. I found one website that just felt like "the one". At around 8 weeks I emailed to get a meeting/interview with them. I fully intended to make more meetings with a few others, but after we ended up talking for so long with the duo and being kicked out of Starbucks because it was closing, we knew we'd found the right team.

The Serene Mama Doula team is great. We essentially get 2 doulas for the price of one. We meet with them both for all our meetings and on the day our baby comes, one of them will be there with us. They are each others back up and we get to know them both.

We get support through the moment we hire them to a few days after we get home with our new bundle. They will go through everything from nutrition, tips for exercise and relaxation, a lending library of books, videos and just a quick call to reassure me when I have questions. They help us picture our perfect birth, and help us achieve it. They also talk with us about realistic expectations. They don't shy away from the details or the things no one talks about.

For us and our birth plan, we are planning to be in a hospital. From experience with my sisters and reading books, I feel like having a resource there for the duration that knows what is going on and provide support is key. The OB or Dr comes in infrequently and really only when it's time to push or there is something wrong. Nurses can be great, but depending on how long your labour is, you may see a number of different ones. Having Gilles and a doula there as constant support is priceless.