Friday, January 23, 2009

Doula

You all are going to laugh at me. After all that fuss, I made a decision. I called one of my friends who had a doula at her birth in November, and she gave me the name of a doula she interviewed but did not use. This particular doula has been used by other women in my community, and her description seemed to be exactly what I wanted. So I set up an interview with her, which I knew would be my last. I would then make a decision to use her or pick between the other two. Just to give you an idea, here are her pros & cons.

Pros:
  • Relatively inexpensive ($750)

  • Came to interview well prepared with materials for me to read
  • Relatively close to my age (30's)
  • Somewhat experienced (~20 births over ~4 years)
  • Lactation counselor
  • Her voice is very relaxing
  • Has a detailed doula contract
  • Comes VERY highly recommended by a friend of mine who used her


    • Cons:
  • Only does 1-2 prenatal & 1 postpartum visit
  • Has never done a twin birth


    • So, what do you think? She a keeper or what? Well, it doesn't really matter because we already hired her. :-)
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    8 comments:

    1. saraJanuary 23, 2009 at 1:51 PM

      It seems like the pros way outweigh the cons and it seems like a great plan! (ICLW)

      ReplyDelete
    2. ChristinaJanuary 23, 2009 at 3:49 PM

      Seems like a keeper to me! Inexpensive, 20 births would be enough for me and the good word from your friend would be enough for me!

      ReplyDelete
    3. DeborahJanuary 23, 2009 at 3:59 PM

      Hi Elana. It's Deborah from the Mind/Body class (you gave us all your blog address awhile back and I've been following). I was at a La Leche meeting last week, and the leader was telling me how she's a doula and she has a new client who had a miscarriage and is now pregnant with twins, had a cerclage and is on modified bedrest. And I just had a feeling it was your doula. Maybe I'm wrong. But is she a La Leche leader?

      ReplyDelete
    4. BirdeeJanuary 23, 2009 at 5:46 PM

      Congrats on finding a Doula you like, I'll be searching for one in a few more months and nervous for the interviews, I swear if any of them are like DF's mother, it will be a nightmare.

      ReplyDelete
    5. Baby Smiling In Back SeatJanuary 24, 2009 at 2:39 AM

      In the days when I was overzealous and thought that I'd get pregnant in the near future (ha!), I investigated all sorts of doulas in my area. Then, when I moved, I did it again (at that point well aware of IF but still hopeful).

      My #1 criterion was that the doula also be trained as a massage therapist so that she could massage me for hours and hours during labor!

      I'd guess that most doulas haven't done twin births since (a) they're often considered very high risk and I'd guess that people don't usually hire doulas if they're expecting to have a c-section and (b) so many twins are premature that they might not get around to thinking about a doula before the babies show up. So personally I wouldn't worry about that aspect, I'm sure she'll be great.

      Happy ICLW!

      ReplyDelete
    6. lostintranslationJanuary 24, 2009 at 6:25 AM

      Haha. Sounds great, I think you made the right decision. But I know how it is with all this decision-making... I can't seem to make up my mind regarding birthing classes (luckily I still have some time to think).
      *ICLW#39*

      ReplyDelete
    7. NikkiJanuary 24, 2009 at 12:32 PM

      Your decision is made and you're happy with it - that's the important part!! :-)

      ReplyDelete
    8. CharlotteJanuary 24, 2009 at 2:14 PM

      Congrats on finding a Doula! Recommended by a friend is the best way to go!! Hope she's everything you were looking for!

      ReplyDelete

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