News
"Popularity of birth doulas growing in Medicine Hat"
Tenille TellmanMonday, May 25, 2008
Derived from the Greek word meaning ‘a woman who serves,’ birth doulas are becoming increasingly popular in Medicine Hat and area.
After relocating to Medicine Hat in 2001, Loree Siermachesky started a practice which was otherwise unheard of.
“It took a long time for people to understand what the word doula was, to pronounce it even,” she laughed.
NEWS PHOTO KIM BRATVOLD
Mother Nadine Adams holds her son Fletcher while doula Michelle Maisonville looks on.
“A lot of people don’t understand until they go through the process.”
Over the years, many women came to appreciate the emotional support provided leading up to and including the delivery of their babies. Now Siermachesky has between 60 to 80 clients a year in Medicine Hat and Brooks.
Last August, a community conference was held to get more people interested in the profession. Now there are more than 10 doulas and discussions are underway about establishing a local association like those in Calgary and Edmonton.
After complications with the delivery of her daughter Danica four-and-a-half years ago, Hatter Nadine Adams says having a doula for the birth of her son Fletcher last February made a difference.
“Just knowing there’s somebody there who has a better idea about what’s going on is more relaxing and takes a lot of stress away from the birth,” said Adams.
Even with family in the room during the delivery, the third party perspective of her doula, Michelle Maisonville, was relaxing. As much as a mother might research before having their child, it was valuable to have an objective, educated support to consult in the heat of the moment.
When Fletcher was born, Adams was not as worn out as she had been with Danica. She also did not have the same complications in delivery.
Doctors and nurses are focused firstly on the safe delivery of the child, whereas a doula is trained to address the emotional challenges of the experience. This is a common misunderstanding about doulas, says Maisonville, because people often mistake them for midwives.
“We can’t do anything medical. We’re there for support and information,” said Maisonville.
Standards of practice under their regulating body prevents them from “catching babies” or providing medical intervention. Birth doulas accompany women and their partners in labour to provide emotional support and physical comfort. They facilitate communication with caregivers and help educate the client so they can make informed decisions.
There are other misconceptions because of U.S. television programming where the approach to birth is different, says Siermachesky. She strives to help parents deal with these misconceptions and to be resilient when things may not go as they wanted in their birth plan.
Many women are under-prepared for the possibility of a caesarean although one in four will have one, she added.
Meetings are held with the client leading up to the birth so the doula can better understand what the mother wants. And when the mother goes into labour, (the doula) is by her side until the baby is two hours old.
The job requires a great deal of stamina because a labour can be as short as two hours but most average 12 to 18. The longest (Siermachesky) has attended was 74 hours.
But Siermachesky says the service is as necessary today as it was before the medical community got involved.
This month is International Doula Month. More information is available from DONA International, at http://www.dona.org/.
Health care professionals interested in learning more about how they can work with doulas to provide the best pre-and peri-natal care can register for an upcoming Birthing, Breastfeeding and Bonding workshop in Lethbridge in October. More information is available at http://www.birthingbreastfeedingbonding.com/.
Please note: Ms. Siermachesky is the owner of her own practice and not affiliated (other than for back-up purposes/networking) with From Womb to Cradle Doula Services, Inc.
