|
Untraditional births gaining popularity
Published January 18, 2009
From the time a couple finds out a baby soon will be joining their lives, they begin planning for the inevitable day of birth, considering every option.
Most women choose to deliver their baby in a hospital with a doctor and nurse, but not all do. Some women give birth in a hospital using a doula, and others choose to give birth at home or in a birthing center with a midwife.
“Birth is such an important moment in a woman’s life,” doula Peggy Raymer said. “It makes sense to make it the best it can be.”
Raymer encourages women to look at all of the available options before they make a decision on how their child is delivered.
DOULAS
Raymer is a doula-certified through Doulas of North America and has practiced for the last 12 years, helping more than 30 women through delivery.
“I’ve always been excited about birth,” Raymer said.
The job of a doula is not to deliver the baby — they leave that to a doctor or midwife. Instead, doulas focus on helping women through a very painful but rewarding experience, she said.
Having a women by your side was a common thing throughout history, and doulas are just getting back to that, she said.
A doula provides emotional support and physical comfort. They also have knowledge of the birthing process and are able to answer any questions the soon-to-be parents might have, she said.
“I pride myself on helping the husband know what to do,” Raymer said. “It’s unfair to expect them to know how to deal with this situation.”
Though husbands often are reluctant to have a doula in the room, Raymer said, they often are the ones thanking her the most after the birth.
“I try to stay out of the way but tell him what to do to help,” she said.
Raymer even tries to whisper her advice, so it seems the help is coming completely from the husband, she said.
Leslie Klug hired Raymer to help her through the birth of her third child.
“She was like a ghost,” Klug said, saying she sometimes forgot Raymer was there. “She was so helpful, encouraging and supportive, but not imposing.”
After a contraction, Raymer would give Klug’s husband suggestions on how to help his wife relax.
“She would notice I had tension in my neck and tell him to rub it for me,” she said. She also ran little errands for the couple so Klug’s husband would never have to leave her side.
“I am focused only on you and your husband,” Raymer said.
“I stay by their side through the entire labor,” she said.
Though nurses and doctors are great, they have other patients, she said.
The average doula charges $600 to $800, she said. This often includes classes before the birth.
“We talk about their worries and how they want the birth to go,” she said.
Many times, Raymer is asked to attend a birth because a mother had a bad experience with her first delivery. She encourages women to think about what they want before the first birth.
“Studies have shown doulas help women deal with anxiety and shorten labor,” she said.
Helping the man help the woman also tightens the family’s bond, she said.
MIDWIVES
Bernadette Olivier has delivered 151 babies at her birthing center, Rite of Passage, as a certified nurse midwife. She has a master’s degree in nursing and a certification in midwifery, she said.
Using a midwife results in a more relaxing experience, Olivier said. The birth is not hurried, and Olivier takes the time to answer any questions the parents have during the pregnancy, she said.
Having a baby at a birthing center offers women the option to involve their whole family, she said.
“Midwives encourage women to rely on their bodies,” Olivier said. They practice a hands-off approach and know enough about labor to see if it is progressing normally, she said.
“Women have a lot more say,” she said.
They can eat, drink and walk around during labor, she said.
Most of the women Olivier works with have their babies in water.
Eighty-five percent of the women she helps give birth in water and 95 percent use it at some time during labor, she said.
“When they get in the warm water, it helps them relax and feel less pain,” she said.
Water births also decrease the amount of crying, and babies are much more calm after the birth, she said.
Olivier works with mothers from the beginning of pregnancy until six weeks after the birth of the baby. Olivier charges $6,000 for the whole process, she said.
Raymer gave birth to two of her children at home using a midwife, something that inspired her to become a doula.
Raymer delivered her first two children in the hospital, but she didn’t enjoy the experience.
“Everything wasn’t exactly like I wanted it,” she said. “I couldn’t move around or get in the positions I wanted.”
So for her last two children, Raymer gave birth at home with a midwife.
“A home birth with a qualified midwife is very safe,” she said.
Her son had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck twice, but the midwife was able to handle it, she said.
The home birth made her feel more connected with the baby and the birthing process, she said.
However, Raymer said where someone has a baby is completely up to them. People can have great experiences in a hospital, she said.
People should have their babies where they are comfortable, Olivier said.
Katlynn Lanham is a reporter for The Facts. Contact her at (979) 237-0150.
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print
|
|
|
 |
|
FREE BAY BOAT WITH WATERFRONT PURCHASE Get
...
Click for all
Top Ads listing
|
