4 Reasons Dads Love Having a Doula!
There are many, but here are 4 Reasons Dads Love Having A Doula!
Are you planning to have a doula present during your labor and birth? Hopefully, you’ve answered, “Yes!”, because a doula will help improve your overall birth experience. A birth doula’s role is to provide continuous educational, emotional, and practical help to a laboring woman and her primary birth companion. Evidence supports the presence of a doula at birth for all women in labor. Beyond providing encouragement, amplifying the birth person’s voice, and facilitating communication with care providers, doula support is also proven to lower the C-section rate, shorten labor times, and increase the likelihood that a mother is satisfied with her birth experience. It is unquestionable that a birth doula is a huge asset to the laboring woman, but what about her birth partner? Doulas aren’t just a great companion for mom, they also provide amazing benefits to expectant Dads during labor, as well. Dads absolutely love having a doula present at birth, and here are 4 ways doulas give exceptional support to birth partners!
Doulas Provide Practical Help and Support
Labor and birth can turn out to be a marathon session for the entire family. A doula can offer exceptionally useful practical and logistical support to Dad throughout the birth process. Of course, a birth partner does not want to leave his laboring spouse all alone, so a doula can take the pressure off Dad when he needs a break from the ‘labor space’ to go to the restroom, get something to eat, make calls to update family, or even take a nap. Dads feel really confident knowing their partner is being fully supported by a birth professional, while he is away from mom. Dads love a doula’s extra set of hands during labor and birth!
Doulas Are Expert “Labor Translators”
Unless you or your birth partner are healthcare professionals, you may not be familiar with all of the medical terminology hospital staff use and recommendations they offer during your stay. A birth doula speaks the ‘language’ of labor and delivery and can help, not only mom, but her primary birth support person understand what care providers and nurses are communicating. Dads love that their doula is able to fully understand all of the birth lingo and can break-down exactly what their obstetrician, midwife, and nurses are saying.
Doulas Lower Anxiety And Provide Stress Relief
Though having a baby is a normal life event, families are not able to predict exactly how labor and birth will go. It can be really difficult for Dads to see their partner in pain, even if it is a totally anticipated part of the birth process. Doulas can truly help ease a birth partner’s nerves and worry by helping make the birth environment as peaceful as possible. Dads love that doulas can model calm and composed behavior during labor and birth.
Doulas Build Birthing Confidence
It is quite difficult to feel confident doing something for the first (or even second) time, and supporting a partner during labor and birth can be pretty nerve-racking, especially for first-time Dads! Doulas bring experience, wisdom, and knowledge to the births they attend. This benefits both mom and her birth partner. Expectant fathers do not have to worry about remembering everything they learned in their childbirth education class, or be the only support person for mom. Dads feel exceptionally confident knowing they and their partner are being supported by an amazing birth professional. Dads love that doulas provide continuous support, information, and reassurance to them, so they can remain confident knowing what to do and how to help mom best during labor and delivery.
Hiring a doula to support your family during labor and birth is absolutely one of the best investments you can make during this special time in your life. They provide expectant parents with continuous, individual support, so you can have a safe, healthy, and satisfying birth experience.