What are the benefits of doula delivery? How should the mother cooperate with the doula during delivery?

Pregnant women who are afraid of giving birth can learn more about ways to reduce the pain of childbirth, such as doula delivery. So what are the benefits of doula delivery? How should pregnant women cooperate with doula delivery? Let's learn more about it~

The support and help of "Doula" is unique. It is different from general medical staff, who provide medical care to many people and are only responsible for the medical results; it is also different from the close care of the husband of the parturient, who only provides spiritual support. She is not only a friend of the parturient, making the parturient feel comfortable and relaxed; she is also a coach for the parturient and her husband. Based on her own understanding and experience of childbirth, she provides useful methods and suggestions (touching, massage, hot compress, acupoint stimulation, position change, etc.) to relieve the pain of the parturient; moreover, Doula is usually a bridge of communication between medical staff and the parturient, reducing the worries and tensions of the parturient and her husband, and building confidence.

Requirements for a Doula

Because a "doula" is a person who helps others get through the most important moments in their lives, the basic qualifications she should have are: received specialized training; good physical and psychological qualities; have childbirth experience; be enthusiastic, loving and responsible; be gentle in her movements and gentle in her attitude, giving people a sense of trust; and have good interpersonal skills.

Features of doula accompanying childbirth

① There are two companions during the delivery process, namely the woman’s husband and another “doula” who has rich childbirth experience.

② The delivery process is centered on the mother, and the "doula" and the mother's husband jointly assume the responsibility of supporting and helping during delivery. The mother can ask the companion for any physical help, and carry out activities, diet, rest, breath holding, etc. according to the guidance of the "doula". The "doula" observes the mother objectively and carefully, comforts and encourages the mother with kind words, eyes and expressions, and guides her in a scientific way to relieve her pain.

③Compared with traditional delivery, mothers feel more comfortable, safe and encouraged.

Advantages of having a doula accompany your childbirth

Domestic and foreign studies have shown that women accompanied by "doulas" have a sense of security, self-confidence and scientific guidance, which shortens the labor process by 25%; reduces oxytocin drips by 40%; reduces the use of analgesics by 30%; and reduces the cesarean section rate by 50%. In addition, mothers recover faster after childbirth, have less postpartum depression, care more about their babies, and breastfeed more, which reduces the incidence of infants. In short, doulas accompany childbirth to make childbirth easier, the experience more pleasant, and mothers and babies healthier. Major hospitals and maternal and child health care centers across the country are actively carrying out the work of "doulas accompany childbirth", which has been welcomed by the majority of mothers and their families. You can go to the local maternal and child health care center to inquire about "doulas accompany childbirth".

Doula-assisted childbirth method

(1) In a heart-to-heart way. Have a friendly conversation with the mother to understand what she has learned about pregnancy and childbirth in the maternity school, and her mastery of the movements to relieve labor pain; explain that all the systems of the mother's body are ready for childbirth, so that the mother can be confident about childbirth.

(2) Take various measures to ensure that the labor process proceeds at a normal rhythm. Teach the mother how to distract her attention during contractions, how to use deep breathing, massage, compression, and second-stage labor breathing methods; perform acupoint massage and gently tap the mother's shoulders, hands, and feet to help her change and change her body position to make her the most comfortable; encourage her to eat and drink water to maintain adequate nutrition and energy; use the rhythmic sound of fetal heart monitoring to enable the mother to hear the strong heartbeat of the fetus, deepening her sense of happiness and responsibility as a mother.

(3) Closely observe the progress of labor, let the mother know the current progress of labor, and promptly detect abnormalities in labor. Doulas serve as a bridge between doctors and mothers, turning mothers from passive to active, improving their tolerance to labor pain, motivating and encouraging them, and forming a good psychological state.

(4) If necessary, administer sedatives or analgesics as appropriate.

How should pregnant women cooperate?

Doula is conducive to the smooth delivery of mothers. So how should mothers cooperate during the delivery process to make the effect of doula delivery better? Let's take a look at it below

1. Trust your doula psychologically

If you want to have a smooth delivery, it is obvious that you must first trust each other and trust your doula, and believe that she will help you get through the entire delivery process safely. Building trust is not a simple process, and it requires more communication between you and your doula.

2. Express your needs in a timely manner

During the critical period of childbirth, mothers should not hesitate to express all their needs clearly to let the doula understand. For example, if you are afraid of labor pain, an experienced doula will tell you the benefits and skills of natural childbirth, teach you how to breathe to help relieve pain, comfort you gently, massage your abdomen, and take care of you like a mother to calm you down.

Requirements for doula delivery staff

A "doula" can be a medical worker, an engineer, a teacher, or someone who does other work; it can be a volunteer (without compensation), or someone who receives a certain amount of compensation. However, when a couple only has one child, the "doula" herself has only one childbirth experience. For this reason, in our country, the best person to serve as a "doula" is an obstetrician or midwife. This job requires love and patience, and requires full commitment. Every time you serve as a "doula" is like experiencing a childbirth. Therefore, the role of "doula" should be based on one's own willingness, after a certain period of training and continuous communication and summary at work, so that one can meet the following conditions:

1. Love work, be compassionate and responsible;

2. Good at communicating with different types of people;

3. Have the ability to help mothers overcome the difficulties of childbirth;

4. Good health and familiar with the delivery process;

5. People who are good at adapting to different workplaces and working hours.