Sometimes "comfort measures in labor" feels like an oxymoron. Comfort in labor?! But with local birth and postpartum doula (& mom), Ashley Collins of Little Bee Birth Partner as our guide last Saturday at New Mamas group, we learned that there are things laboring moms and their partners can do to help offset labor pains.

Ashley started us off talking about the importance of changing positions in labor. But as she said, "use them wisely,". Long lunges down the hallway, for example, might feel great in early labor but as labor progresses, that position will likely tire you quickly. It would be hard for a first time mom and partner to know that but this is where a birth doula like Ashley comes in. A birth doula is there specifically for support, ideas and resources...all for a woman in labor. She'll know when to suggest a new position and have other ideas in her doula bag too.

A couple other easy ideas that Ashley likes are:

Get a head scratcher. I don't know about you but I LOVE having my head scratched! Ashley likes to use a head scratcher in early labor to relax moms.
Create a "birth cave"- Ashley likes to build one for laboring moms with Christmas lights as a way to soften the space of a hospital room as well as provide
Sweet & simple. A plain ol' sock stuffed with cheap rice is awesome for the lower back in back labor. Microwave to warm up, apply and mmmm....

Ashley is also a certified rebozo instructor and aficionado. The rebozo is a long piece of fabric that originated in Mexico. In labor, a rebozo can be used as an extension of a partner to support a woman in labor. (This brief video on Ashley's site offers a helpful introduction.) Partners want to help in labor and the rebozo is a nice way to "invite the partner" to support the mom in a truly involved way.

Our new mamas on hand had a few tips too:

Coconut water: I wish I'd thought of this one. Icy cold coconut water can be refreshing and way more interesting than plain water, ice chips or the popsicles usually on hand.
Take a nap in early labor. A few moms said that they wished that they had napped to conserve some of their precious energy.
Affirmations. Even if a birth plan goes awry or something unexpected happens, positive affirmations can be a wonderful way to stay focused and feel in control.

It was great having Ashley with us on Saturday! If you're a pregnant mom and are interested in learning more about how a doula can help in labor including with comfort measures, head to Babies R Us on Sunday April 26 for Doula Speed Dating presented by Bull City Doula Collective.

The second Saturday of each month is the free Outside The Mom Box support group for pregnant women and new moms with babies under 1 year. Each session starts with introductions and then goes in our main topic. We leave about 30 minutes at the end for Q&A. May's topic is: self-care.

Guest Post: Tara Owens-Shuler

At my 10th year high school reunion in 1998, I received an award for having the most unique career as a Doula! When I told my classmates that I was a birth doula, many of them asked, “You are a what?” Doulas, a Greek word meaning “with woman”, are now more familiar in the birth community and being hired more often by women and their partners. So, what is a birth doula?

Doulas are like community health workers or patient navigators for expectant women. We provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to laboring women and their partners. We do this three ways:

provide informal education and social support;
help women connect to community and hospital services or resources;
assist women in evaluating and preparing for safe and healthy birth practices during labor.

In the current hospital settings, neither the nurse nor the doctor will remain by the bedside continuously. Doulas, on the other hand, are continuously by the bedside and provide constant support to women and their partners. Doulas do not replace the husband, partner, or other family member, we assist them with skills to better support their loved one. Doulas help families advocate for themselves by helping them ask the right questions to get the necessary information to make informed decisions.

A review of several research studies summarized that women who are supported by a doula during birth are:

less likely to have a cesarean;
less likely to use any pain medication in labor;
and more likely to report greater satisfaction with their birth experience. (DONA International Position Paper).

So, even with the credible research that strongly supports the impact that professionally trained birth doulas have on birth outcomes and satisfaction, I am often still asked, “why hire a birth doula?”.

Women hire birth doulas for all of the labor support and evidence-based reasons above and more. Expecting women who want to become more informed consumers of healthcare hire birth doulas because they offer informed, evidence-based education. Women who want to feel empowered and confident going into the childbirth experience are also ones who hire a birth doula. And women who want to feel a part of the decision-making throughout their labor are more likely to hire a birth birth doula and afterwards report feelings of satisfaction with their birth experience.

The comments below, from some of my former clients, illustrate just how much women do value the labor support services:

“…cannot express how much you helped this be the ideal birthing experience.”

“You made the whole experience much easier and to some extent enjoyable.”

“Knowing we had your support gave us such confidence.”

“It was invaluable to have you on our ‘team’!”

One of my favorite quotes, “If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it (Dr. John Kennell)”, speaks to why I advocate for women to hire a doula for their birth! We are an important member of your birth team and provide immeasurable support.

If you are interested in finding a doula for your birth, a great place to start is the DONA International website. You can search by State and City to find doulas nearest to you. You can also ask friends, co-workers, or family members, who have used birth doula services.

About Tara:

Tara Owens Shuler, M.Ed., LCCE, FACCE, CD(DONA) is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and a certified DONA birth doula. She is currently the Past-President of Lamaze International, having served on the Lamaze International Board of Directors for the past 5 years. She’s a leader and advocate for women being informed and educated on evidence based birth practices.

In her spare time, Tara teaches Lamaze childbirth education classes at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC and independently in Durham, NC through The Birth Library. She provides doula services to women across the Triangle area.

Note from Elizabeth: This piece from HuffPo that came out late last week underscores Tara's mention about how doulas lower c-section rates. It's absolutely worth a read.