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Women Helping Women: The Somali Doula Initiative
by Ann Shelp
In response to increasing frustration of both Somali women and its Birthplace staff regarding cultural differences in childbirth practices, Fairview University Medical Center launched a Somali Doula Initiative. Aspects of the program include developing a glossary of both cultures' important birth-related terms and the hiring and training of nine Somali women to be doulas. The success of the doula support has been measured by improved attitudes and confidence of the Birthplace staff, improved satisfaction of the birthing Somali women, reduced usage of epidural and spinal narcotic pain relief, and a significantly reduced cesarean birth rate from 27.1 percent to 14.4 percent.
Can a Nurse and a Doula Exist in the Same Room?
by Ellise D. Adams and Ann L. Bianchi
Teamwork can be defined as working jointly with others, especially in an intellectual endeavor or to cooperate with an agency with which one may or may not be immediately connected. Teamwork may also be described as a true partnership in which the power on both sides is valued equally, with recognition and acceptance of separate roles and responsibilities, while safeguarding the interests of both disciplines.
Doulas: Nurturing and Protecting Women's Memories of Their Birth Experiences
by Penny Simkin
This paper reviews research findings on psychosocial outcomes of childbirth, such as women's long-term memories and impressions; the effects of emotional distress on labor progress and fetal well-being; women's satisfaction with their childbirths; and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after childbirth. These outcomes are explored in terms of how they are influenced by doula care during childbirth. The conclusion is that the doula's simple intention of nurturing and protecting women's memories of their births addresses and improves psychosocial outcomes.
To view this article (in pdf format), click here.
Is the Doula an Intervention?
by Shellie Moore
The question, "Is the doula an intervention?" addresses the concerns raised by those who understand the laboring woman's need for privacy and to have the birth process undisturbed. The doula's role of mothering the mother has been shown to be a natural and beneficial element of human birth.
Doulas, Labor Support, and Nurses
by Ann L. Bianchi and Ellise D. Adams
Women in labor expect that their physical and emotional needs will be met. This includes nonpharmacological and pharmacological methods of pain relief, encouragement, and feelings of presence and support. These needs may be met by a variety of caregivers -- the professional doula or birth companion, female relatives, the intrapartum nurse, a nurse-midwife or lay midwife, the father of the baby, or special friends.
Doulas' Views on the Rewards and Challenges of Their Work
by Paula Lantz, Lisa Kane Lowe, and Robyn Watson
Doulas face many unique rewards and challenges as they attempt to establish themselves as part of the maternity care team in a health care system that is highly specialized and in a culture in which the birth process is significantly medicalized. The authors conducted a survey of a random sample of doulas in the United States to gather a variety of information from doulas, including satisfaction with their work. The findings suggest that the vast majority of practicing doulas (96 percent) find their work personally and emotionally rewarding, but that only 34 percent find it financially satisfying. The rewards of being a doula include supporting new mothers, helping women have a positive birth experience, and being part of the birth process. Significant challenges, however, include lack of support from clinicians, balancing doula work with other demands and obligations (primarily related to family and other jobs), and being on call.
The Critical Moment and the Passage of Time: Reflections on Community-Based Doula Support
by Rachel Abramson
Though the fields of maternal-child health and family support are committed to mother, infants, and their families, many of our programs are designed as if childbirth takes place in another dimension separate from the rest of life. The worlds of medical care and social support don't comfortably intersect. Our programs ultimately fragment human life, and consequently we lose the opportunity for ongoing effectiveness. The community-based doula model is an attempt to integrate support around birth into a woman's life, across the passage of time. This article briefly describes the model, which creates an ongoing, continuous fabric of support for birthing and parenting families.
Family Focus
by Susan S. Bartell
Self-Nurturance as a Crucial Element in Mothering
Although good mothering is very important, it is critical for a woman to take care of her own physical and emotional needs rather than investing all her energy in mothering. Being a good mother does not mean having to be completely self-sacrificing. In fact, a woman will be a better mother if she is able to nurture herself in addition to nurturing her child. This issue's Family Focus column describes the potential psychological impediments to being self-nurturing and teaches educators how to assist mothers in understanding the importance of taking care of one's own emotional and physical needs while mothering. It then discusses ways to develop these skills and also reach out for help without feeling that one is depriving a child of good care.
Educator's Corner
by Cheryl Coleman
Labor Support Teaching Techniques
The Cochrane Library: What's New and Noteworthy
Resources
by Linda Worzer
Audio Visual Review
by Margery Simchak
Relaxation, Rhythm, Ritual: The 3 Rs of Childbirth
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