What is a Doula?
Welcoming a new life into the world is one of the most significant moments in a family’s life. However, it can be an overwhelming experience for expectant parents. This is where a doula comes in, offering support and guidance through pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.
Ashley Kile, a Cranford resident, is a certified doula who helps parents-to-be through the birthing process. She sat with us to give us the skinny on her role in the community.
What is a Doula?
Doulas are support people for pregnant persons who want extra care and education during their pregnancy, labor, and postpartum journey. Their role is not to make decisions, but to provide evidence-based education on the safest practices and to create or hold space for the family to make decisions. Doulas go hand in hand with a solid birth education class, providing information on different birthing options and helping families create a birth plan that aligns with their preferences.
What is the History of Doulas?
“Birthing supporters have been around since the dawn of time. Doulas, specifically, came to be unexpectedly with a medical group that was doing research in Guatemala. Nursing students were instructed to sit and take notes during the delivery process. While a lot of negativity surrounded these experiments, one student had excellent, really good outcomes. They questioned her, and she panicked, but it led to an important discovery- just the presence of another woman in the delivery room, despite a language barrier, created greater outcomes. This is how doula work came into practice.”
What Motivated Ashley to Become a Doula?
The World Health Organization suggests that a country’s C-section rate be between 10-16%, but the rate in New Jersey is 33%. Ashley believes that the biggest factor in this high rate is a lack of education about labor and delivery. Expectant parents are only given a hospital tour and do not feel in control of their experience, allowing others with different ideas to take control. Medical interventions can be pushed.
“I think of it this way…you wouldn’t run a marathon without training, and educating yourself on proper gear and advice. Birthing is one of the most physically and mentally demanding activities. A little education and building your team can go a long way.”
Ashley’s own birthing experience has been very positive. She had three different but equally great birthing experiences. Her first delivery was high-risk due to a diagnosed heart defect, and she had to deliver at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. CHOP provided her with a midwife. The midwife’s support was invaluable, and she didn’t leave Ashley’s side during the delivery process. “She made me feel at ease and confident in an otherwise difficult situation. I too want to help create a positive and empowering birth experience for the family, so I became a doula.”
How and When Do Parents-To-Be Reach Out
to a Doula?
Some people will get a doula right away, and some doulas specialize in fertility and can help shepherd you through that process. Regardless of when you get a doula, they will be on call from 36-37 weeks through labor and delivery. It’s best to use them at 20 weeks to get your resources, and education, and build your birthing plan while you are also building a relationship with them. Doulas help with this. You want to make sure you work well with them, and that they support your decisions regarding birthplace, pain management, etc. It’s best to find a doula who’s on the same page as you.
Like all members of your birthing team, such as doctors and nurses, you should interview different doulas and pick the one that feels the right fit for you.
What is Ashley’s Advice to Pregnant Persons?
Ashley advises that expectant parents should be educated. They should find a childbirth class that’s good for them, know their options regarding giving birth, know their team, and build their community of supporters for pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum. It’s also important to do your research. Hospitals have induction, epidural, and C-section rates that you can find online. Interview a few doctors to make sure they are supportive of your wishes.
Where Can People Contact Ashley
for More Information?
Ashley will be teaching a Lamaze-like birthing class for pregnant persons and their supporters at the community beginning April 18. You can also find her on Facebook @ashley.l.kile and reach out to her at SoundBeginningsDoula@gmail.com.