3 Ways Your Doula Can Support Your Partner
A birth partner can be anyone (husband, wife, mother, sister, friend, cousin, anyone!), typically they’re someone that knows you well and has been supporting you throughout your pregnancy (or maybe even long before you became pregnant).
“Oh my partner will be with me, I don’t need a doula!”
Have you been wondering why someone would hire a doula (or why you should!) when a partner is there to support the experience?
A birth partner can be anyone (husband, wife, mother, sister, friend, cousin, anyone!)
Your doula brings a wealth of knowledge into your birth space. We may not be an expert on you, but we know all about birth. Luckily, your partner is (probably) an expert on you. There we go! Bases covered ✔️
So my partner and my doula are both supporting me? What does that really look like?
Often the birth space can be brand new for partners, and in that, unfamiliar territory to navigate (which I know can be overwhelming!)
Your doula can support your partner by:
Guiding them through hands-on techniques to support your birthing experience and ease discomfort (think hip squeezes, optimal positioning for different stages of labour, supporting your positioning)
Explaining to them what is physiologically happening throughout the birthing process and/or what is medically happening or being suggested (e.g. reading the monitors, medications, procedures, what the doctor or nurse or midwife is talking about)
Allowing them to take breaks from supporting you to care for themselves as needed without leaving you alone in labour (this can be anything from eating + sleeping to caring for older children, running an errand, or just general daily tasks)
When it comes down to it, having the support of your partner and doula gives you the best of both worlds. Two people in your space who know you, understand you and support you from before labour begins to long after baby arrives.
xx Lillian
Sticking around for more? Here’s a little bonus for you: if you’re not planning to hire a birth photographer your doula can snap some photos of you and your partner in those blissful birth moments <3
