Giving birth can be stressful and scary,
and that's where birth doulas can help. They offer support for women
and couples during pregnancy, labour and birth, and the immediate
postnatal time. They do not take a clinical role, but work alongside
midwives and doctors to support a woman when she's making decisions
about maternity care.
We spoke with Kicki Hansard, a doula who is originally from Lapland and settled in the UK in 1990. She is a member of Doula UK,
a network of doulas, run by doulas. A mother of two daughters, Kicki
has supported 117 births and trained more than 500 doulas. Recent
findings show that women are 26% less likely to have a caesarean if a
doula is present. Kicki's book The Secrets of Birth was published in 2015. Here's what she wants all women to know about having a baby...
1. Try to stop looking at giving birth as scary
Many
women are traumatised about labour even before they're ready to start a
family. Young girls may have been shown a film at school of giving
birth and it terrifies them for years to come. It's often not depicted
as natural or something the body is designed to do – but as painful and
dramatic.
But birth is something the body is programmed to do,
with the help of hormones. Just as we eat and the body uses the
nutrients from food to give us energy, our hormones help us give birth.
2. Fear can inhibit the natural hormones needed for birth
If
a woman is afraid, the production of endorphins and the feel good
hormone oxytocin can be inhibited. Instead adrenalin is produced and
this makes it difficult for the woman to relax and be calm. Animals in
the wild can stop labour if they're not in the right environment. The
same can happen to women if subconsciously they don't feel comfortable.
3. Hormones produced when having a baby are the same as when making a baby
It's important to give birth in a warm room with soft light that feels
intimate, and the woman knows she is safe and secure. You don't make
love with lots of people watching in a cold room with monitors around
and in bright lights!
4. Giving birth is not quick
This is often a big surprise – usually to male partners – who want to
rush to hospital. Physically and biologically you change when you go
into labour and the process takes some time. However, most people
wrongly perceive it as a woman walking along and all of a sudden she
doubles up and goes into labour.
Labour
starts properly when you have 3-4 contractions every 10 minutes,
lasting for a minute each – and that can take a few hours. Even if a
woman feels the urge to push she can still have an hour to go – it takes
a while for the baby to push through.
5. Nobody can make the birth process quicker
It doesn't matter how many midwives are present, there's nothing anyone
can do to speed the process up. This can be difficult to accept. All a
partner or family can do is be present, supportive and encouraging. Once
couples understand this fact then it feels more relaxing. That's where
doulas can be with the couple to reassure them that everything is
normal.
6. Giving birth is incredibly safe
The Birth Place Study – based on 65,000 pregnant UK women, found that a
complication free pregnancy makes giving birth 99.4% safe and adverse
outcomes are very rare.
7. You don't have to follow every recommendation
Every woman is allowed to choose for herself most things having to do
with her pregnancy and labour. However, those options and choices can be
difficult to agree on. Medical advice does not always come with
warnings. There is a risk with every choice you make – every day – not
just when giving birth!
8. Understand what it means to be induced (and the risks)
Labour starts when the baby releases a protein.
If this is done artificially it can take two days to get a woman into
labour during which time the baby may get distressed so the woman is at
an increased risk of needing a caesarean.
9. You can have a positive and amazing experience - even if you don't end up having your first birthing choice
Women may have a natural birth or a caesarean but recovery time has a
lot to do with how they felt during the process. If they felt happy in
mind and body before and during the birth then they are more likely to
have a positive and amazing experience.
10. Skin to skin is so important
In a straightforward birth, skin to skin regulates the baby's heat and
for the first few hours the baby will pick up good bacteria from the
mum's skin to help colonise his or her tummy. The areola will give off a
smell of amniotic fluid and guide the baby to the breast. Babies have a
30 times better sense of smell than at any other time. But skin to skin
doesn't mean having a cheek against a tiny patch on the mum's chest but
the whole (naked) body on mum's chest. The chest is one of the richest
areas for releasing oxytocin, the compassionate love hormone. It's great
for bonding. And that's why it feels nice to hug one another – whatever
the age!
You can find out more about doulas by visiting Doula UK
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