Doulalala Love

My amazing doula, Bonu Decaires, holding my last baby a few days after the birth, while checking in on me.

I love doulas. They are the best intervention one can have during a labor and birth. Why do I love them? They remind me of Dr Virginia Apgar. How do they do this you ask? Dr Apgar changed the world because she was a witness. She witnessed obstetricians treating babies in various different ways in the minutes after birth without any scientific guidelines as to what might best support the baby. So what did Dr Apgar do? She invented a standardized way to asses a newborn, now called the Apgar Score.  Thank to this, providers respond to a baby based on the baby’s specific needs in the minutes after birth and can be applied equally so all babies stand their best chance. Thus Dr Virginia Apgar, single handedly changed the face of infant mortality forever. She did this by watching, she did this by observation, she did this by noticing. She was a witness.

Doulas have that ability to witness. They go from birth to birth and see how different providers handle the same situations and get myriad results.  Doula’s are part of your best team. I literally “wrote the book” on birth and you bet I’m personally using and recommending a doula every time! Everyone can benefit from a little support when going through a challenging moment.