Want to have an easier labor and support when you deliver? Then you want a Doula! A Doula is a specially trained woman who helps during childbirth, and if you want to breastfeed, she will help you get started. She is there for you and you alone. She does not work for your doctor, the hospital, or DCFS. If you are in foster care or probation, the Joy In Birthing Foundation will provide you with a Doula for free.
You will meet your Doula a couple of times before you go into labor and she will describe what you can expect during the birth of your baby. You can tell her what you’d like once you go to the hospital, what you are afraid of during labor, and how you’d like to be treated. She will help you write down things you want the doctors and nurses to know once you go to the hospital to have your baby. This is called a birth plan or birth wish list.
Once you are in labor, she can help you decide when it is the right time to go to the hospital, and she will be at your side to help you relax. She will teach you breathing exercises, suggest different positions you can use to ease the pain, and rub your back. Once you go to the hospital, she will follow you, help you tell the nurses what you want, and make sure you get it.
If you have other friends or family members at your birth, she can help them understand what is going on, and she can suggest things they can do to help you. She will stay a short time after the birth, and if you wish to breastfeed, she will help you feed your baby. Then she will visit you within a few days to check in on you and your baby.
You will be able to text or call her after the baby is born, and she will help you know many things about your baby like when to feed him/her, how you can help him sleep better, how and when you can give him a bath, and what to do when your baby is crying.
If you would like to have a Doula, or would like to learn more about what they do, contact:
Danika Charity
(323) 487-3708 danikacharity@yahoo.com
JoyInBirthingFoundation.org