By Jennifer S. Wilson
I need to start by thanking everyone for your kind words regarding my health care situation. Even with these less-than-ideal changes, U of I employees are very fortunate to have good insurance coverage. I’m feeling much less apprehensive about it all now, no doubt in part because of support from the chambanamoms.com community!
![Do I need a doula Doula champaign pregnancy urbana Carle Provena](https://www.chambanamoms.com/wp-content/webpc-passthru.php?src=http://www.createmoremedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/pregnant-mom-dad.jpg&nocache=1)
Several of you suggested that I may find extra reassurance by working with a doula. I’ve heard from many friends and acquaintances that a doula can serve as another advocate for my care, but I don’t really know much more. DONA International says that a doula’s presence at birth:
- tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
- reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
- reduces the need for pitocin, forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
- reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals
I believe these would be attractive benefits to most women, and my personal preferences for a natural (i.e. drug-free) childbirth coupled with drug allergies (opioid-class drugs in particular) have me considering this more strongly.
However, my largest concern is my husband. While I am certain there are many awesome husbands, he is definitely not your run-of-the-mill man. He genuinely wants to be very involved every step of the way and we’ve discussed using the Bradley Method (husband-coached childbirth) as part of our birth plan. While he admits to never having even heard of a doula (and therefore unable to form educated opinions), he’s initially skeptical of having someone else in the room with us. We’re committed to a “go team” approach to our entire marriage, so I want to find the best solution for both of us.
Since I’m a beginner here, I have a lot of questions and I’d love to know what you think. Real people can offer so much more than a Google search. Here are my questions for you:
- Why does a woman choose (or not choose) a doula? What did you do?
- What is the husband’s role when a doula is involved?
- Does the Bradley Method replace the need for a doula?
- Do either of these options eliminate the need for my hospital’s “Prepared Childbirth Education” class?
Jennifer Wilson feels quite a bit more optimistic this week and can’t wait to paint the baby’s room in just a few days! Jennifer writes 31 and Pregnant, a column about navigating first time pregnancy in Champaign-Urbana.