Experiences with doulas - Elliott and Lashgari?

[Anonymous]

I'm delivering this fall with Drs. Elliott and Lashgari. Has anyone delivered with them, with the assistance of a doula? Even if they "allow" it, I'm curious as to how receptive they were to having a doula in the delivery room. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Wish I had specific feedback for you; hopefully others will. But have you asked the doctors what their experiences have been with doulas? And have you asked your doula (if you have hired one yet) about her experience working with your practice? Both of these might also give you a good sense of what to expect. I ended up switching practices after my original OBs were negative towards the idea of hiring a doula, and after our doula told us she had not observed many births with that provider that were similar to what we wanted. We were glad we switched to a provider that actually encouraged women to hire doulas and believed that continuous support was valuable and something that given the constraints of hospital birthing they could not provide.

good luck!

[Anonymous]

Thanks - that's a good idea; we're still looking for a doula so I will ask them specifically about their experiences working with my doctors. I plan to discuss this with my doctor at an appointment next week - I am just concerned about a situation where the doctor is okay with hiring a doula, but then is not cooperative on the big day. I appreciate your response.

[Anonymous]

What if you do not sign in your doula as "doula", but rather as your support person? Like a friend or relative. Would that make a difference?

[Anonymous]

14:17 again. I think that even in your interviews with potential doulas, asking them their specific experiences with your provider would be really helpful. If they've worked with your provider before and it has gone well, that would be encouraging (and bringing a doula with you who is on good terms with your provider is always nice). If they've had negative experiences, that would be useful too. Experienced doulas will have most likely worked with your provider and while their opinion is subjective, if you ask multiple doulas it might give you a good sense of what to expect.

While I do think it is really nice when a provider is supportive of doulas, I think it can also work fine even when the provider is not supportive. Sometimes the OB isn't even present at the birth until you are pushing, in which case the nurses being supportive of the doula is even more important. And we as doulas are used to having to go into a birth and forge productive positive relationships with providers, even providers who may not be happy we are there -- so in that sense, choosing a doula who YOU like and who you think will interact with your providers in a way you will feel good about, makes a lot of sense.

And I do think asking your provider for their experiences with doulas would be really good. I think you'll get a sense right away of how supportive or positive they are. Maybe asking them to tell you about some times they have collaborated with a doula, or appreciated the work a doula has done, will give you some insights into how they manage the relationship.

I wish you the best of luck!

[Anonymous]

14:17 - Thank you so much for your response. I hadn't even thought about the fact that the people who will be around the most will be the nurses, and I can't pick my nurses. I had never even heard of doulas until my friend became one (she's now in medical school; she hopes to work in the women's public health sector). I mentioned hiring a doula to my mother and I didn't expect her to be so supportive of the idea - she is from India, and apparently it's quite common to have someone come help you with your labor before you deliver. It seemed totally normal to her, and she's happy that even if she doesn't make it in time for delivery, my husband and I will have someone to help. Any other questions you think I should ask my doctors, or a potential doula? I plan to use pain medication, so I definitely want a doula who is non-judgmental in that regard.

[Anonymous]

14:17 again.

I do think it's common in many parts of the world for women to attend each other during labor, and that it was common here in the past before birth moved into the hospital. I think it's a nice tradition to bring back

As for questions to ask a doula, here are a few that might be worthwhile:

How many births have you assisted with?

What training and education do you have?

Have you assisted with any births at my birthplace? With my provider? How was your experience?

What is your philosophy about childbirth and supporting women and their partners through labor?

Will you meet with us before the birth? If so what will we do and discuss?

What comfort measures do you typically use?

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a doula?

Do you work with one or more backup doulas for times when you are not available? May we meet them?

What is your fee, what services does it include and what are your refund policies?

What support do you provide to women who choose or need to use pain medication? What are your feelings about pain medication in labor?

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And for your doctor, were you looking for just questions related to using a doula? If so, some good ones might be:

What have your experiences been in working with doulas? Can you tell me one positive and one negative experience you have had?

In your experience what do doulas do at the births they attend? (This might give insights into how they feel about them...)

When will I typically see you during my birth? (This might give a sense for whether the doctor will be there throughout, or just at the end, so that you'll know how much he or she might interact with the doula).

Good luck to you!