A do-what?

A Doula.  It's the term for women who are trained as a type of "labor coach."  They provide physical and emotional support, primarily during labor, but do not provide any medically-based services. There have been several researchers (most notably Marshall Klaus and John Kennel) who have performed randomized clinical trials assessing the labor and birth outcomes for women who go through the laboring process with and without a doula.  (OK, here comes the student geek in me!!!)  Birthing with a doula has been shown to reduce C-section rates and reduced the need of epidural analgesics (McGrath S and Kennel J, Birth 2008); a doula, especially those that have breastfeeding training, increases the rates of breastfeeding immediately or within an hour after birth (Motti-Santiago J, et al., Matern Child Health J 2008); having a doula helps to reduce the amount of time spent in labor (particularly great since average length of labor for a primigravida (a woman with no prior pregnancies) is longer than for a multigravida) (Campbell D, et al., J Obstet Gynecol Neonatol Nurs 2006); and having a doula present during labor reduces the need for a forceps or vacuum extraction and augmentation with pitocin, as well as improving a woman's sense of wellbeing during and after the labor process (Scott K, et al., J Womens Health Gend Based Med 1999).

OK.  Now that I've geeked out on PubMed, I'll get on with the story.  Initially, Billy and I thought that we weren't going to need a doula.  We were leery of the thought of a total stranger sort of "coaching" us into doing something that I thought would come very naturally to any woman.  However, as I read more and more about how beneficial it was to have a doula support you at birth, I started looking into it.  I asked a few friends for recommendations and I was advised to call up several doulas and make an appointment to interview them, since they tend to book up pretty quickly. 

We looked at a very comprehensive list of doulas in Utah (http://www.utahdoulas.org/saltlake.html).  We contacted about 7 of them and heard back from 5.  We ended up interviewing 3 doulas (we narrowed down our list based on friends' recommendations, services offered, and prices).  The first one we interviewed (we will NOT name any names...I'm sure she's super nice and very compatible with other women) was a total dud.  She lacked any sort of confidence in what she was saying and was out of shape and looked incredibly tired (she told us she had 9 kids under the age of 22).  Not that looks have anything to do with being a competent doula, but the fact that it seemed that I could probably outlast her during my labor isn't very heartening. 

The second doula we interviewed was Tiffany Hickenlooper.  She met us at the Tea Grotto (AMAZING place in Sugarhouse, by the way) and she bought us our drinks.  She was very much an extrovert and looked like she loved being outdoors.  I loved her philosophy on birthing and she's attended over 200 births, so she inspired a lot of confidence in me and Billy.  (Christy, she says hi and that she's seen you on TV and is happy that you're doing well.  She'd love to hear from you!) 

We also met with April Gillespie.  From the beginning, she showed such devotion and a lot of enthusiasm for being considered as our doula.  She provided us with a lot of doula-related information and the services she offered were more comprehensive than any other doula we researched.  She was also very budget friendly ($360 for the total package!).  We hit it off right away.  We have some of the same values and she's had 3 children: 1 was C-section, 1 was induced, and the last was a natural birth, so she has firsthand knowledge about medical and natural births. 

Although we really liked Tiffany, we ended up contracting with April.  She will provide us with prenatal classes, 2 general prenatal visits close to my due date, on-call status from 2 weeks before Nacho's born, labor support for as long as labor lasts, help with initiating breastfeeding after labor, and then 2 postpartum visits to see how the baby and I are doing.  She has already provided us with articles and papers about birthing, medical interventions, and doulas in general.  She also has offered to let us use her "fake" baby.  You know the ones that some high schools use for those "at risk" girls?  The "fake" babies that cry and log how many times and for how long they cried so that the instructor can see if you're going to be a neglectful parent?  That one.  I thought it may be a good idea for Billy to hang out with since he's never once changed a baby diaper in his life. 

I also briefly thought about buying Billy this, until I saw the $649 price tag:

Empathy Belly

So, I'm excited to start the prenatal classes with April.  We'll start doing all of the relaxation/birthing exercises that I'll use during labor.  I'll have to keep you updated about the stuff I'm doing during my sessions (the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly).