International Doula Week

Here is a newspaper article  profiling  doulas  from   Doula Training Canada   who  I also received my training from.

Doulas deliver support

Many birthing women find their calm through a doula’s guidance.  
​Hamilton Spectator by Kate Bondy

It was 5:30 on a brisk winter's morning when Lyndsay Gabriel awoke to the rolling sensation of contractions. Her birth pool was set up in the nursery, the lights were dimmed, and soft music filled the air as Gabriel prepared to give birth for the second time.

"I knew from my first hospital birth that I wanted things differently ... (and) for my first homebirth, it went so smoothly," recalls Gabriel. "I remember telling my midwife and doula that I had no idea when I was supposed to push, and they said, 'Listen to your body and it will tell you when.' I thought they were crazy, but my body knew exactly what to do."

​By 11:02 a.m., after slow-dancing through contractions, Gabriel and her husband, Matthew, entered the birth pool together and delivered their second daughter, Faith.

"It was so beautiful," says Gabriel, "I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful birth experience."

Aided by her doula, LeeAnne Hamilton, Gabriel was able to remain serene and focused during her labour.

"(LeeAnne's) calm and gentle voice was reassuring that everything that was happening or about to happen was normal ... I loved how she was experienced and extremely knowledgeable. It made me feel confident in my decision to hire her," said Gabriel.

With the help of massage, soft lighting, gentle touch and rhythmic breathing, many birthing women find their calm through the guidance of a doula.

According to clinical trials conducted in 1999 by Kathryn D. Scott, Gale Berkowitz, and Marshall Klaus published in The California American Journal of Obstetrics, doula-assisted births have seen a 51 per cent decrease in caesarean rates, a 36 per cent drop in pain medication requests, and labour times shortened by an hour and 38 minutes. .

Many often confuse the roles of doulas and midwives, thinking that their professional duties are interchangeable.
​While both offer compassionate caregiving and continuity of care, "the foremost difference between a doula and a midwife is definitely the medical care that is provided," says Hamilton birth doula Amanda Cooke. "Doulas are support for physical, emotional, and informational support — everything but the actual medical aspect of it."

Doulas also provide a wide range of services beyond the labour room, including prenatal birth classes, lactation consults, postpartum care, and infant loss and stillbirth support.

Melanie Farrell is a labour doula and a certified lactation educator with Built to Birth, who teaches the importance of the first hour, that key time for creating the crucial postpartum bond between mother and child.

"Weights can wait, measurements can wait, Facebook posts can wait. Just spend time connecting," says Farrell. "Your baby doesn't even know they're not connected to you anymore, so just let them be there and let them connect."

This is a mantra echoed by Sue Balaz. As a birth educator and labour doula, Balaz says there's nothing better than "just seeing my moms having the birth that they want, seeing them with that baby, skin-to-skin and with that glow on their face." It's these moments that drew Balaz to birth work and the foundation of her Burlington company, Loves Memory, a birth doula service that provides prenatal and labour support.

Balaz is also one of the founders of the Infant and Pregnancy Loss Training and Certification Program with the Home Hospice Association, the first of its kind in Canada.
The program also includes teachings from professionals who specialize in grief counselling and end-of-life care. The goal is to train professional birth workers to offer guidance and support to grieving families.

"We had a student midwife at our last training, and she said she had attended a stillbirth, and told us that (in midwifery training) 'they don't tell you what to do, they don't teach you how to speak. They teach you the medical side, but they don't teach you how to speak or care for these families,'" recalls Balaz.

Balaz is also a Birth Doula Training Instructor in the GTA with Doula Training Canada, one of the many avenues available for certification.

In addition to DTC, the Childbirth and Postpartum Association (CAPPA) and Doulas of North America (DONA)offer full certification for various forms of doula practices, including birth, postpartum and childbirth education.

Fanshawe College in London recently began offering a one-year Ontario College Certificate in Doula Studies.

"I think it's only a matter of time before it's completely regulated like midwifery classes are. The birthing world is really changing," says Cooke. "People are starting to see (birthing) as more of a natural and positive thing compared to medical."

Tracking down the right doula may seem like a daunting task, but there are some resources available to help connect expectant families with birthing professionals.

Doulamatch.net is a tool to find local doulas. Listing the credentials and specialties of each practising doula in the area, it helps expectant mothers find the right person to support them with their birth.

LeeAnne Hamilton was the first doula that Gabriel met with when she began her search for a labour support person.
"I had planned on interviewing a few (doulas), but when (LeeAnne) came over we just clicked. It felt like we had been friends for a long time.

"At my birth, LeeAnne was helpful in making me feel safe and comfortable … She had a gentle touch and I was so grateful to have her there," recalls Gabriel.

"I think that's the role of the doula," says Farrell, "they become your village. And it's not a big enough village, but it's a fantastic start."

Kate Bondy is currently certifying as a Labour and Birth Doula with Doula Training Canada

Special to The Hamilton Spectator
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Ontario Birth Stats

In a study published in April 2015, BORN (Better Outcomes Registry & Network) Ontario concluded that 19,375 births in Ontario were assisted by midwives between 2013-2014.
This accounts for 13.5 per cent of the total births in Ontario that year, which, according to StatsCan was 144,051.

Local Doula Pricing and Services

Pricing:  $350 to $1,000, depending on services rendered
Many doulas will offer a payment plan, or a sliding scale to accommodate a family's budget.
 
Packages: A basic package generally includes one prenatal and one postpartum visit, and the support during labour.

More exclusive packages can include 2 to 4 prenatal and postpartum visits, labour support, childbirth education classes, lactation consultations and access to the doulas resources and supplies.

Additional Services:

Placenta encapsulation
Belly binding
Birth and family photography

Types of Doulas

Labour and Birth Doula — Labour Assistant
Postpartum Doula — After Birth Doula
Antepartum Doula — High-Risk Pregnancy Doula
Abortion Doula — Guidance and care during cases of abortion
Bereavement Doula — Support in instances of miscarriage or stillbirth
Adoption Doula — Assistance for mothers and families on both sides of the adoption spectrum.
— doulatraining.net