A doula provides continuous support from the first signs of labor, starting with texts, phone calls and video communication while you labor at home.
For mothers who plan to deliver at a hospital, a doula’s support doesn’t start when you arrive at triage or get settled in a delivery room. Our birthing doulas also provide virtual support while you labor at home. These virtual doula services will help you through everything from the first signs of labor until you’re ready to grab your hospital bag and go.
Continuous labor support can ultimately lead to better birth outcomes. You may have a shorter labor, a lower likelihood of using pain medications and less chance of needing a C-section or assisted delivery. There is also a lower risk of your newborn having poor vital signs five minutes after birth.
Before a doula meets you at home or the hospital, she will offer various forms of virtual support to benefit you and your baby. Here’s what you can expect in those pre-labor and labor stages.
Prenatal Support
As part of your prenatal service, your doula will reach out to you via phone or video call throughout your pregnancy and leading up to the delivery day. As part of these virtual check-ins, she will create a document that helps you get to know each other and fosters an open, trusting relationship of mutual respect.
By providing plenty of communication before your in-person meeting, you are able to build a connection with your doula, giving you that sense of confidence from the start. This rapport is so helpful once labor kicks in, as your doula will provide virtual support during the early stages. Your pregnancy, labor and birth are a special, intimate time in your life, and we understand the importance of feeling supported by someone you know and trust.
While in Labor
Once you think you’re in labor, it’s time to reach out to your doula. You can communicate with your doula through text messages and regular phone calls to ask questions, gain support, share how you’re feeling and convey how your labor is progressing.
During this time, your doula will text or talk on the phone with your partner or someone on your support team. This communication frees you up to focus on your labor and provides your support person with guidance on how to best help you while you’re laboring at home.
Your doula will also either FaceTime or call you once you’re in labor. Your doula will ask questions to understand what is happening and so she can be prepared and ready to help when she meets you at your home or the hospital. She’ll ask what you’ve done, such as laboring positions or comfort methods you’ve tried, as well as provide encouragement and suggest other ways to manage pain and keep you emotionally focused.
She can also listen to you in labor. By listening to changes in your tone and breathing patterns, your interactions with your partner and other sounds, she can get a good sense of how you’re doing and how you’re progressing.
Your doula may also run through points on your birth plan to set the stage for what’s coming next. She’ll remind you that you are empowered to make decisions and drive your labor experience, saying things like, “Do you feel like you need me there right now?” or, “Let me know when you’re ready for me to get there.”
Having a doula by your side virtually and physically will offer ongoing support throughout your entire labor and delivery. No matter how you’re feeling, she is there to help you feel secure, confident and supported with everything you need to bring your baby into the world.
If you’re interested in having a doula support you during labor, Chicago Birthworks Collective has a range of doula services and packages that include continuous labor support.
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