What to Expect when Hiring a Doula

What is a doula, what do they do?

I find a lot of time expecting families are searching for a midwife and they think a doula is unnecessary if they have a midwife, but that is not entirely true. A doula is someone who is there in the room with you from the moment you request them to a few hours after you birth your baby.

A midwife is essentially an OB, but their outlook on birth is more physiological than medical. If you are seeking to have an unmedicated birth free of unnecessary interventions then a midwife is a great choice for your birth team. A midwife will not be in the room with you continuously, chances are they have other families in labor they have to attend to. A doula is there for you and your partner, applying hot and cold compresses, counter-pressure, suggesting changes in position, bringing your focus to your breath, sending encouragement your way from start to finish, and even is there to let your partner catch some z’s if needed. A doula does not replace a midwife, doulas are there to provide mental, physical, and emotional support they do not do anything medical i.e. no cervix checks or monitoring your baby.

How do I find a doula?

There are a lot of ways to find a doula, Google is a great way to search locals in your area. Doulamatch.net is another great option to find doulas in your area.

If you want to birth your baby at a stand alone brith center like the Minnesota Birth Center, Roots, or Health Foundations they often have doula interns for little to no cost. Woodwinds in Woodbury has a doula on call program; however, you do not get to meet the doula before you arrive to the hospital, you simply get whoever is on call.