Do you *need* a doula if you are planning a home birth?
Photo taken by me at a Birth Roots home birth
Many first time parents think, “We are already planning a home birth and we already hired a midwife - why would we need a doula?” That is like saying that we already ate breakfast so why would we need dinner? Both roles are different and have important goals for supporting your family, even as they work toward the same purpose.
I am Mel (they/them) from Wyld Garden. I have been a full spectrum doula since 2019 and a Birthing From Within childbirth educator since 2020. I moved from NYC and have been serving queer families all over the Chicagoland area since 2021. You can read more about me here. I love home births with Corrie and I am very excited to guest post today!
First of all a quick recap: rad midwives like Corinne keep you and your baby medically safe while holding space for a physiological birth. Midwives:
Administer prenatal care
Check vitals
Help out if you experience too much bleeding after your baby is born
Take care of your newborn in their first hours of life
In short, midwives do just about everything a doctor might do except for operating room procedures (like cesareans). Doulas are different. Doulas are physical, emotional, and educational support people who do not do any medical tasks. So when you are planning a home birth, you might think that a midwife and a home birth will help you check all your preferences for labor, but you might want additional support.
When people reach out to me wanting to know where they can have a waterbirth, I have resources for that. When we meet for a prenatal, we go over pain coping, communication styles, and even dig into your family values and how they might affect birth. We practice some labor positions to build muscle memory. I can help people talk through anxieties or fears that they have about birth. I’m like a walking bucket of resources!
A common scenario that I see: parents are jazzed for their home birth and feel labor coming. They are so excited (of course) to meet their baby that they cannot sleep. First time labors can be on the longer side, so resting at the beginning of labor is essential to help conserve energy for when labor gets more intense. Doulas can be really helpful! Clients call me and we talk through a plan for rest. Sometimes I join them even before it makes sense for the full birth team to come to help them stay calm and find restful positions for coping with early labor. Then, I help them know when labor is getting more active and it is time to call in the midwife. I like to think that I can help people avoid burning out at the start of labor.
Since it is not my job to keep everyone medically safe, I can spend all my energy thinking about comfort and coping. I’ve got a whole bag absolutely stocked with tools. I lend out TENS units to clients so that they can learn how to use them before labor even starts. I teach partners how to do that sweet sweet hip squeeze to lessen the intensity of contractions. I even find myself using reiki at some births. In short, I have a lot of tricks up my doula sleeve that make labor go more efficiently.
Sometimes labor unexpectedly stalls or slows. In those moments, my collaboration with your midwife can really shine. Corinne can do an assessment of your baby’s position and then we can brainstorm as a team what movements might help labor get moving again. At one birth we attended together, our client was pushing for a long time. Corinne suggested they eat something. I suggested a position change. In the words of the client, we “created a bubble around them.” And after a while pushing, we found the position that worked and baby was born shortly after that. You can read the whole birth story here.
After your baby is born and everyone is stable, the midwifery team retreats to do some charting. I usually help clean up a bit and then make a warm meal for everyone, often my golden curry recipe. Throughout the birth, I often tend the kitchen and do things like make coffee for the team, wash dishes, and generally make sure that we are leaving a client’s house better than we found it.
A final note: a doula goes wherever you go. You cannot risk out of doula care. In other words, if you find out that your baby is breech and need to transfer care to a hospital, I go with you! If you or your baby has a medical condition arise later in pregnancy, I’ll be there. You can’t get rid of me! I stick to you like glue. For many families, there is a lot of peace of mind knowing that even if rare or unexpected challenges arise, they will have continuity of care with their doula.
After a home birth, clients will often say things like, “I had a team I felt so safe and seen with. I could fully relax and just let the process of birth take over because I knew that everyone had me.” That is the power of a (queer!) midwife and doula. We create a safe bubble around you so that you don’t have to worry about anything and can focus on birthing your baby.