This is my response to the Navelgazing Midwife's blog post entitled "Doulas and homebirths":
Thanks for the new post Barbara. Attending hospital births definitely drains me and I am always grateful and honoured on that rare occasion when I am asked to attend a homebirth. For me, personally, I think it would be impossible to attend a UC as "just the doula", unless the lady you are serving is a trained midwife herself who really wants someone skilled at counterpressure :) . I get asked for a clinical opinion by doula clients all the time, both before and during birth. I usually answer such questions with a few different schools of thought on the subject and suggest clients discuss with their care provider. I try to be clear when I am stating my opinion. At a UC, the doula can't do this: her client is looking to her as having the higher authority in birth, just because of her many experiences. I think most women will be looking at their doula as "the expert", no matter how much the doula tries to help them see their own power. Birth is a vulnerable event. As a UCer, I think if you hire a professional to come to your birth, you are now having an assisted birth. When giving unassisted birth, any concerns or questions that come to your mind must be addressed by you, the mother. You are the highest authority at this birth. Once you hire anyone, including a doula, you are now using that doula as a midwife. I hope this little ramble makes sense.
Thanks for the new post Barbara. Attending hospital births definitely drains me and I am always grateful and honoured on that rare occasion when I am asked to attend a homebirth. For me, personally, I think it would be impossible to attend a UC as "just the doula", unless the lady you are serving is a trained midwife herself who really wants someone skilled at counterpressure :) . I get asked for a clinical opinion by doula clients all the time, both before and during birth. I usually answer such questions with a few different schools of thought on the subject and suggest clients discuss with their care provider. I try to be clear when I am stating my opinion. At a UC, the doula can't do this: her client is looking to her as having the higher authority in birth, just because of her many experiences. I think most women will be looking at their doula as "the expert", no matter how much the doula tries to help them see their own power. Birth is a vulnerable event. As a UCer, I think if you hire a professional to come to your birth, you are now having an assisted birth. When giving unassisted birth, any concerns or questions that come to your mind must be addressed by you, the mother. You are the highest authority at this birth. Once you hire anyone, including a doula, you are now using that doula as a midwife. I hope this little ramble makes sense.
It does make sense! As a doula, this is a frustrating issue (for me, anyway). People will call and ask me questions, or to attend their births - but my limitations as a doula aren't clearly understood by all. Most of the time, the women are asking for my permission to do what they want to do anyway. I'm all for supporting, but sometimes my opinion gets turned into permission without my consent, and that puts me in a pickle. I use the magic phrase, "From what I understand (insert answer), but you should really look into it on your own, and check with your doctor to make sure" a lot...
ReplyDeleteYes, I try to give clients lots of information, including different points of view, and am very clear when I am giving my opinion vs evidence/experience based approaches. Giving them avenues to researching options on their own empowers them and minimizes the chances they'll say, "my doula says...". I'd rather they confidently discuss the issues with their healthcare provider, saying, "I have some concerns about xxxxx, can you explain some things to me?"
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