Doula Climate in WV/Long Births

I am getting ready to move to WV (Northern) just across the stateline from Cumberland, MD. I will have several small to medium sized towns close by. The laws being what they are for MD and WV not being very supportive of home births... do you think that this is a good area to be a Doula? Not that this will change my mind, just wondering. I am assuming I would mainly be working in the hospitals with women like myself that would have loved that extra support of my natural childbirth.

I want really badly to be a Doula. I was unexpectedly present for my SIL's induction and I was able to coach her from beginning to 6cm when she had her Epi. I did not have any formal training, I was just pulling from MY experience and morbid facination with birth . She said that her first birth (she had NO CB classes) consisted of her yelling and screaming until she had her Epi. She said it was so much better to have me there helping her. It was a truly life changing experience for me.

Other stupid questions... Everything I'm reading says that you are always present. What happens when you have a 20 some odd hour birth? Potty breaks? Excuse yourself for a small energy bar? I always think about stupid little things.

[DL]

Chaney,

I know the area where you're moving!!! I now live in Ohio, but I'm from Winchester VA....not too far away! My sister still lives there, so I sometimes drive through there whenever I go for a visit (and then sometimes I opt to go through Hancock, MD and Berkley Springs WV down 522 instead). It really depends on what size roads I'm in the mood to drive on by the time I get there! I'm jealous!!! I'd LOVE to move back there, but dh's job is in Ohio...land of corn!

Ok...enough small talk...to the doula stuff!: Homebirths are wonderful (I'm assuming, as I've not had the pleasure of attending one yet). Hospital births are more common with the general population, so if you think that you'd be happy with attending moms at the hospitals, then I say "go for it"! Really, moms in the hospital REALLY need doulas! Long story so I won't go into detail now, but I attended a birth yesterday where I KNOW mom would've had a Cesarean if she hadn't had doulas giving comfort, listing options, and reminding her of benefits/risks (not the birth I posted about in the "sabotaging dad post"--I've attended 2 births during the past 3 days--wheeew!). We had two doulas in this case, as I was asked to be there to observe/help a new doula. We had a nurse that was not doula-friendly, so having two doulas there was GREAT and oh so helpful!!

Your other questions: Yes, I pretty much stay there the whole time. I will leave for a brief potty break when necessary, but only when I know that mom and birth partner are working well together. I WILL NOT leave mom alone. I've done 24 hours before, but I have in my contract that if the labor process goes beyond 24 hours and I feel that I can no longer give the quality of support that mom deserves, that I may choose to call in a backup doula to either relieve me or assist me. I've not had to call in a backup for that reason yet, but it is possible for some births to be 30+ hours. Having a plan for those cases is a good idea. Food: I don't leave the room to eat. During the easier times of labor (often the earlier stages of active labor), I will stand back and nibble on a Luna Bar (energy bar) and drink bottled water (all the while watching closely to see if I'm needed). Sometimes I'll need to attend to mom for a ctx or two, but then I can go back to my "meal". It's just enough to sustain me, it doesn't taste badly, and yet not something so yummy that mom would wish she could have. When I finish that, I'll take a moment to brush my teeth. (Note: I WILL NOT use my client's toilet, but I will use their sink to brush my teeth...so I'm still nearby for that.) Very often, I can time it to brush in-between ctxs. Once things start getting very intense, I don't have the time to eat (but then again...those are usually the shortest phases of her labor) and I'm too busy to think about food anyway. Of course, my description mostly fits with natural births, and with medicated births there is usually more time to potty and eat a snack....and maybe a cat-nap or two if mom is sleeping with an epidural in place. HTHs!

Thank you so much for a quick reply. I lived in Winchester for about 3 months in 2001 when I first moved to the area, on Papermill Rd. My DH is from there, Keyser, WV to be exact. We lived in Centreville, VA after we were married, for a year, then we moved away from the area, now we're going back. I'm originally from Oklahoma and I've also lived in South Carolina, so I don't confuse everyone.

We are waiting (not very patiently I might add) to hear about DH's possible job. They said we would know today . He did get a background check form, so I guess that's a good thing. We keep getting the same answer, they've emailed him 3 times now and said that they are building a team so it is taking longer then normal and he is still a prime candidate. LOL!

I think I would be okay supporting women in the hospital because I had a not so pleasant experience and was railroaded when I was giving birth. It was a nightmare. I remember on my birth plan stating that I wanted minimal interventions. I then laughed to myself 20 hours later when I had a bag with pitocin, antibiotics, internal monitoring, and an epi. which lead to a vaccum assisted delivery. I thought I was prepared and I just wasn't, I guess. I made my requests, but I was just ran right over. Memphis, TN isn't exactly NCB friendly, IYKWIM?

Thanks for the other info, too. I don't know why I wonder about little things like that

[DL]

Sorry, but I can't resist going for a minute!

Yes, I know Papermill Rd. pretty well, and I went to high school at Handley. Wow...it's really cool to 'talk' to someone on here who knows where I'm from! The funny thing is that Winchester has grown sooooo much in the past few years, that I often get turned around and lost when I visit (my last visit was this past September). There are new roads, and then again....some of the old roads that are still there now either dead-end or go in a different direction (i.e. Millwood Ave. and the whole area over by the Apple Blossom Mall)! I felt so silly nearly driving in circles in a place that I used to could probably drive blind-folded!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaney Thanks for the other info, too. I don't know why I wonder about little things like that

Oh btw...there are NO silly questions! Your questions are actually good ones, and how would one know unless they've asked others who already knew? Now, you know (at least how I do things anyway)!

[tlcdoula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaney to have me there helping her. It was a truly life changing experience for me. Other stupid questions... Everything I'm reading says that you are always present. What happens when you have a 20 some odd hour birth? Potty breaks? Excuse yourself for a small energy bar? I always think about stupid little things.

Well, when they say that you are always present I don't think they mean that you don't get a potty greak or anything. What they mean is that you are with mom from the time she needs you until after the baby is born.

As far as a 20 some hour labor - you either do one of two things - you either stay the entire time (my longest labor/delivery was over 30 hours) or you have a good back up doula that you can rely on. In the event that you choose to go this route it is a good idea to let the mother know this when she signed on with you.

Potty breaks and eating - you go when you have to go As far as eating it depends on the mother, what is going on, etc. I have eaten while supporting a mother or have excused myself for a few moments. They do understand that we need to pee and eat LOL