Computers and Doulas

I wrote a while back about my dead computer. I'm very happy to report that the local computer shop was able to move all my data onto my backup drive. The longer I was without it, the more I missed. Especially the other night when I was scanning an old tax return and I realized that I had scanned older ones previously and shred them but never burned the scans to CD. They were all more than 10 years old but still, how stupid can one be. So when I got my drive back tonight, the very first thing I did was burn those things to CD. I am in the process of making a backup of my laptop drive right now. The next step will be to clean up the backup data and burn lots of it to CD. Who exactly was it that said computers make your life easier?

I got a comment from someone a while back asking exactly what a doula is. I read the same question recently on another blog. So let me attempt an explanation for any interested parties. In short, a doula is someone who is experienced in helping women get through labor and delivery. They are trained in comfort measures as well as trained to know the commonplace explanations for all those medical terms you may hear in the delivery room. They may or may not have a medical background but they aren't there to give medical advice. Their role is to explain things to you so that you have a better basis for making decisions. Primarily though, they are there to suggest ways for you to cope with the pain of labor. I guess the best case for the use of a doula is someone who wants to go drug-free or minimal drugs and is not sure they can do it without some help.

I didn't use a doula with G. I had a midwife who was there for the whole labor (which is different than most doctors who will typically only show up when it's time to push) plus J, my SIL and a good friend. Even with all that help, looking back on it, another helping hand wouldn't have hurt in the slightest. Plus, my labor all of a sudden took off at rocket speed and I went from 3cm to fully dilated in the span of about 3 hours. The midwife was good but, for various reasons unique to the situation, she didn't really get in there and try to help me through it. J did his best as did SIL and friend but having someone there who had seen that situation before would have been invaluable. The end of the story was that I made it through but to this day I'm not sure how!

This time around I have a midwife again and my friend who was there the first time is now an experienced labor and delivery nurse. SIL will probably be there and I hope, hope, hope that J will also get to be there. But even with all those things going for me, I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to have a doula.

I would think that almost any laboring woman can benefit from having a doula there. I think the more help you can get the better! So I would say definitely consider it.