Emily Mason 0:00
Yay, you're pregnant. Now comes thinking about planning your birth, whether you want your birth for your baby at home, a midwife center or in a hospital, having a birth doula might be the best option for you. Not only do they come with a wealth of knowledge, but having one present has been proven to give you better labor outcomes. Thanks for joining us. This is preggie pals.

Disclaimer 0:25
Um, is that a plus sign? Pink or blue? Hospital or home birth? What type of food should I be eating? I think I just paid myself. I'm pregnant and I have to exercise. What pregnancy glow? Wait. Was that a contraction? Gotta make these pants. I've got kinkles. What do you mean? There's more than one. You've got the symptoms, and now you've got the support you need for a happy nine months. This is preggie pals. Your pregnancy your way.

Emily Mason 0:54
Welcome to preggie pals. My name is Emily Mason, and I'll be your host today. If you haven't already, be sure to visit our website, at New mommy media.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, which keeps you updated on all the episodes we release each week. Another great way to stay updated is to hit that subscribe button in your podcast app. And if you're looking for a way to get even more involved with our show, then check out our online community. It's called Mighty moms. That's where we chat more about the topics discussed here on our show, and it's also an easy way to learn about our recordings. So you can join us live. Our guest today is Jamie Peters. Jamie is a certified birth and postpartum doula with a passion for all things birth and baby. She's a mom of four with a caretaking background, who's great at offering support to families, both physically and emotionally, along their journey from pregnancy birth and into postpartum. Jamie currently works for Modesto birth and beyond, a full service birth and postpartum doula group practice offering childbirth education, highly skilled and compassionate birth doulas, educated and experienced postpartum doulas, Placenta Encapsulation services, workshops and classes for new parents and doula mentorship opportunities. Jamie, thank you so much for joining us today. Can you please tell us a little bit more about your family and your line of work.

Jamie Peters 2:23
Thank you so much for having me. I actually just celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary a few days ago, and I am a mom of four. I have a 13 year old son, a 10 year old daughter, a seven year old daughter and a four year old son, and I'm a birth and postpartum doula, and I love it so much. So I am busy between all of those things,

Emily Mason 2:49
absolutely You sound very busy. And congratulations on the wedding anniversary.

Jamie Peters 2:54
Thank you.

Emily Mason 2:55
We also have a mama joining us today, Kaylee Hunt, who is our Podcast Producer. She's joining us to talk about her experience working with her doula. Kaylee, will you tell us a little bit about your family and your experience with your birth doula? Yes. So

Kaile Hunt 3:10
I am a military wife, and then I welcomed my daughter when I was living in Hawaii, and she's about a year and a half old, and I remember when I was pregnant, I instantly knew that I wanted to hire a birth doula, like it was just something, I don't know you have a OBGYN, and then I just wanted to have my birth doula, and so that was a big part of my prenatal care, my birth plan. So I'm excited to be on this episode today,

Emily Mason 3:39
wonderful. I will also be chiming in on my experience being a postpartum doula educator, but first, let's take a quick break.

Today we're discussing how having a birth doula present can lower the risk of intervention when you're in labor. So Jamie, can you explain to us what a birth doula is?

Jamie Peters 4:06
Yes. So a birth doula is a trained professional who provides physical, emotional and educational support to families, before, during and immediately after childbirth. We're there to educate you on the whole process of labor and birth, which is actually so much more intricate and complex than the average person knows. And then we are with you through the majority of your labor, helping to support you and your partner through physical needs, like providing comfort and pain relief to mom, helping to make decisions whether it's something planned or unplanned, because, as we all know, lots can go unplanned and the emotional side of things, because it's super normal for lots of big feelings to pop up during the process. I like to say a birth doula bridges. The gap between your medical providers and birth, your nurses and doctors have your medical needs at the top of their priority list and keeping you safe, which is obviously very important, they have a huge job. A doula's role is to provide more of the hands on whole person care, to nourish your mind, body and spirit during labor and to be a reassuring presence.

Emily Mason 5:23
That is a wonderful definition. I loved my birth doula when I was able to work with her, and she immediately picked up on things that took some people years to learn about me, of what I liked and didn't like, and what she could do to support me. So that definition was definitely spot on, talking about, you know, the doctors being there for the medical needs and putting your medical needs first. What is the current percentage of women who give birth via C section?

Jamie Peters 5:58
So right now in the United States, the current C section rate is sitting around 32% it's actually the highest it's been in years, which isn't great, and I do, I do want to preface my answer to this with saying I speak for most doulas when I say we are very grateful for modern Medicine and C sections when necessary. Key word there is when necessary. Nobody wants an unnecessary major surgery, which is why there's a lot of emphasis on avoiding a C section. There's lots of added risks to mom and baby with a C section, because, like I stated, It's major surgery. So we do want to avoid one if we can do so safely,

Emily Mason 6:44
absolutely. And why does having a doula present lower that risk of the intervention or of a C section?

Jamie Peters 6:53
There's a few different key reasons for this, but I will do my best to try to sum it up. Studies have shown as a whole that having a doula present at your birth drops your rate of an unplanned C section up to 50% which is fantastic. That's huge. One of the biggest reasons for this is a large decrease in early or non medically necessary inductions. That's really key for avoiding lots of different interventions, not just a C section. Your doula will help you advocate for yourself and your body will educate you on the benefits and risks of interventions and really all things labor and birth related, which is so important, it sounds cliche, but knowledge truly is power, and when we know better, we do better. So going into your birth educated and being able to make informed decisions is really, really important myself and the other awesome doulas and the group that I work with also focus a lot on body work and the importance of getting your baby into an optimal position for birth, which is crucial for a vaginal delivery.

Emily Mason 8:04
Excellent, excellent. Yeah, that was great. I learned something there. So explaining some of those common interventions we talked about C sections, some of the most common ones may look like epidurals or Pitocin, but can you give us an overview of some of the most common interventions and what they're used for, and maybe some risks and benefits of those Sure,

Jamie Peters 8:31
epidurals and Pitocin are usually two terms that most people have heard of, I would go out on a limb and say that they are probably the most common. So epidurals are great. And I speak from experience, I had an epidural with all four of my births, and it was great. So absolutely nothing against them. It is a personal preference on which avenue a mama wants to go as far as pain relief during labor, but an epidural is the most frequently requested method. Some people might think that doulas are against epidurals and only encourage a med free birth, but that's totally not true. As with any intervention, there are always risks and benefits to each one, which is why, like I stated, being educated and informed is so important. We want you to know what you're agreeing to, why your body needs it, and all of the risks and benefits that's really, really important. And as a doula, I know my client, if I know my client really strongly wants to avoid an epidural, I will do my very best to encourage her to try all the things first, and we'll pull out all the stops, like counter pressure, positional changes and hot showers for pain relief. But if I see that she's, you know, crossing. The line from coping to suffering. That's not good for her or baby, so it would be a good tool for her at that point. Of course, the downside is you're numb and limited on how much you can move and use gravity to your advantage. So we do like to see epidurals placed when you're a bit further along in your labor. But there's really no right or wrong way to do it either way. The other intervention is Pitocin, which is a synthetic version of the hormone oxytocin that's used to stimulate or augment, slash, speed up contractions. And I will say this one tends to be a little bit overused, especially when it's being used for an unnecessary induction. There's a time and a place for everything, and Pitocin is great when labor has stalled or there's another reason that they need to get contractions going, but it does come with risks, such as contractions that are too strong or frequent, which can then cause some distress for baby, over stimulating the uterus can also increase your risk of hemorrhage during or after delivery. So we don't want to use it too long or too soon. So starting it too soon and labor, you know, can obviously increase your chances of being on it for a prolonged time, which then, you know, leads to or could lead to a bunch of other things. So I always say there is a time and a place, and if used correctly, then you know, interventions are sometimes fantastic tools.

Emily Mason 11:39
Absolutely, we have some more questions coming up. We are going to look at some postpartum doula questions and hear more about Kaylee's experience working with a birth doula. But first, let's take a quick break.

Unknown Speaker 12:01
Kaylee, you

Emily Mason 12:02
mentioned at the beginning of this episode that you had a birth doula. Can you explain that process?

Kaile Hunt 12:08
Yeah, so I hired my birth doula after I took a birth education class, and it was recommended that if you take the birth education class, you should also hire a birth doula afterwards. To me, it just goes hand in hand. So the birth education class I had was through best birth Hawaii, and it was a wealth of knowledge. It was taught by a doula herself, and they had a whole system in place. And so after the birth class, I learned a lot, and I learned about the risk involved and how interventions can be decreased if you have a doula present. And so that was right up my alley. I really liked that stats. And so we interviewed me and my husband. We interviewed about four different doulas, and we, you know, we're sold on one that just really aligned with our views. She was very natural. She wasn't against medication. I was super sick during my pregnancy I had, HG, so I was constantly taking anti nausea medicine. So it wasn't I did not have a holistic, you know, no medicine pregnancy, so I was open to using interventions if needed during my birth. And she aligned with that. Obviously. She said, You know, we'll try some things, and if it doesn't work out, I am so okay with you, you know, getting that epidural if you really want it. And so anyway, it was a great fit her and I and my husband. And so once we sat on her, we, you know, hired her. I had three prenatal visits with her, which was absolutely lovely. So on top of getting seen at the army hospital, she would actually drive to our home and just sit and chat with me for two hours, and it was lovely. We would talk about my birth plan, my goals, her experience, how I'm feeling like I said I was so sick during pregnancy. She would bring me little tinctures and teas to try and then I remember my last visit with her. I was 39 weeks pregnant, and I actually gave birth 39 and five, but I was 39 weeks pregnant, and you know, she was just bracing me, like, how are you feeling? Text me day and night. You know, are these Braxton Hicks? Or do you think contractions coming on? You know, and then, when you're super pregnant, you just it's hard to do anything right? Like, it's hard to walk, it's hard to get out of bed, it's hard to it's hard to do everything. And so she would give me these techniques that my husband could use to, like, help massage my lower back and help use the robozo, and, you know, do different yoga poses to relieve tension. And so that was kind of the whole prefix of working with my birth doula.

Emily Mason 14:34
That's awesome. I also loved working with my birth doula, and the rebozo was one of my favorite things to do and relieve some of the pressure. And when you're big and miserable, it feels good. And yes, very much so. And those, those are some of the things I absolutely loved. And just getting that birth plan figured out, even though it might not go the way you want it to go. Having that plan going in is so much more securing for me, I guess, and making me feel like we have a plan and we know what we can do, and I felt a lot more stable definitely going into that 100% yes, Jamie, who can be your doula? Can it be a partner, a mother, a sister, a stranger, who can be your doula, well,

Jamie Peters 15:26
your partner, mom, sister, friend can absolutely be a great support system and very much an important part of the process. Obviously, somebody who has known you all of your life, like your mom or your sister knows you in ways that nobody else does, so they really bring a different level of comfort to you during your whole birth process, which is really important. But a doula is different because we are trained and typically will have a little more knowledge on the process than your other support people will so it is a bit different. Also, doulas provide a lot of support to your partner as well, which sometimes is something that is a little bit overlooked. We you know, of course, focus on mom and all of her needs because she is the star of the show, right? Of course, rightfully so. But it really can be a lot for your partner. It can be harder than they think to watch you in a lot of pain. It's intense, and sometimes they can feel really helpless and not really know how to help you, or, you know, how to get into those pressure points or back rubs and an optimal place for the laboring mom, like a doula does, I'm always checking on the dads and making sure they've eaten, they've taken a walk, or, you know, just a little mental break for themselves too. Because, as we know, labor can be very lengthy, and sometimes being cooped up in that hospital room can really take a toll on them. And I always say that they have to be okay to provide the support that you need from them as well. So they are important too, and a doula loves to make sure that they are taken care of as well.

Emily Mason 17:24
Absolutely, I think I kind of had the best of both worlds, because my mom is a birth doula, and so I was very worried going in that she would have her mom hat on and not her birth doula on. But she did fantastic. And that was kind of the nice part. Is she, she has known me all of my life, obviously, but she was able to kind of separate those things and talk to me as a client, and not so much as her daughter. But it was still, I was like, my mom got to be there, like, for that whole process that was super special. Yes,

Jamie Peters 18:03
that's so special. I love just, you know, when my when my client, is comfortable and okay, I love just kind of taking a step back and and almost being a fly on the wall and just watching, you know, especially a client's mom, because a mom has a connection with, you know, your daughter that nobody else has, and just to see the look on their face and they're just in awe of what their daughter is capable of, and it's so so special to witness. I love it

Emily Mason 18:33
absolutely when you're hiring a birth doula, How soon should you hire your birth doula. How early Can you do that?

Jamie Peters 18:42
Well, technically, you can do it as early as you want. I would say probably around 20 weeks is the most common, common timeframe to hire your doula. But I do think it's important to look around, shop, around, find somebody that, like you said, aligns with your beliefs, your wants. There's so many different doulas, so many different styles, so to be able to give yourself ample time to interview around, ask questions, and find somebody that you really connect with, and I feel like around 20 weeks is kind of the sweet spot for that, but it really can be whenever you want to All right,

Emily Mason 19:27
that's good information to have. So when we think about a birth doula, what is the difference between a birth doula and a midwife? I think sometimes those terms can be used synonymously. So can you help kind of separate those two?

Jamie Peters 19:42
Yes, so they are actually very different. And you're right. That is something that kind of somebody who doesn't have a lot of knowledge or an outsider may think that they are one in the same. I've actually had people assume that I deliver. Babies because I'm a doula and I'm like, no, no, I can't take that much credit. Midwives are medically trained healthcare providers who can deliver the babies and provide medical care. They go to medical school, and they are very much credentialed to do all of the things. Doulas don't perform any medical tasks. So I like to tell people think of a doula as basically a support person. And that sums it up. We are there to support you through labor, support you through birth in many different ways, but we are not providing medical advice or medical care.

Emily Mason 20:44
Thank you. Thank you for defining that and helping clear that question up for us. We've got some more birth doula questions coming up, and we will hear more from both Jamie and Kaylee.

Welcome back to preggy pals. We're continuing our topic on birth and postpartum doulas. So Jamie, can you tell us a little bit more about your organization, Modesto birth and beyond?

Jamie Peters 21:13
Yes, so Modesto birth and beyond is a full spectrum doula services group. We provide Lamaze classes for getting prepared for birth, which is so so amazing. I always tell people, if you invest in one thing and one thing only, it is the education part of it. Nine times out of 10, when people leave our Lamaze series, they are just mind blown at what they've learned and what they've taken away from it. And it's so so valuable. So I always say education is so super important. There's so much that we just don't know going into it, as you know your average person. So we provide education, we provide birth doula support, postpartum doula support, and placenta encapsulation. And what we are essentially is a group of doulas who work together. We have a unique system and where we are able to have rotating on call schedules, which is amazing and very much priceless for the majority of us in the group who have kids and young families, and you know, life outside of our passion, which is doula work. We're able to be on call, but have shifts that way. We're not, you know, 24/7, on call for four weeks, which can be very tricky to manage when you've got kids and life and all of the things. So we take turns. We have shifts. We are there for each other when somebody might need a shift covered, or somebody is sick, it's so nice and amazing to have a group to fall back on and to lean on for advice. And, you know, just sharing in this passion that we all love so much. And, you know, like minded individuals to work with is amazing. And like I said, we were all there for each other when we you know, life comes up, and it's amazing to be able to do this work that we love, but also be present at home and not have to forfeit too much of our time with our family. So we are all very similar. The transition to one doula to the next is pretty much seamless, which is also important for the laboring mom. You don't want too much of a disruption. So I think that we are a dream team, and I just love working so much with all of the ladies.

Emily Mason 24:04
That's fantastic. So thinking through the the full spectrum, can you have a childbirth educator, birth doula and postpartum doula be all the same person? Or, um, how does that work? To have different people?

Jamie Peters 24:18
Yeah, so a client doesn't get to like, pick or request who they get, necessarily, but they we meet them all before they give birth. We have zoom calls, and we all all doulas, attend at least one Lamaze class so that all of the clients get to meet each of us that way. They're familiar with us and a stranger is not walking into a labor room, because that would be a very awkward first meeting, and probably not so comfortable for Mama. So everyone gets our BIOS and reads a little bit about us, and also gets to meet us face to face that way, no matter. Or who ends up being on call during their birth, they feel comfortable and comfortable with whoever they make it. And as far as what care they can provide for them, they would get any of us and are happy with it all

Emily Mason 25:13
right. So I guess that leads me into the next question, what would be a hesitation for hiring a birth doula. Why? Why might someone be a little nervous? Or what have you come across?

Jamie Peters 25:27
So right off the top of my head, I feel like sometimes modesty can kind of make somebody nervous, you know, a not necessarily a stranger, but somebody that they're not super comfortable with, like their mom or their sister or their best friend, you know, seeing them in a really vulnerable state and, you know, naked and all of the things that can be a little bit overwhelming and might be a little bit of a hurdle to get over, but We do our very best to keep our client comfortable and really get to know them. And if you know that's a concern, we do our best to give them as much privacy as they want, and definitely pick up on their cues and let them know. You know, most of us have been through this process before, so there's there's no surprises for a birth doula. The other hesitation may be the cost, because most doula services are still not covered by insurance companies, and I know that that is changing a bit now and will be changing even more so in the future, but for a lot of the services, they are out of pocket costs, which, you know, financially, it can be a strain on a lot of people, and I totally get that too, but there are ways around that, and there are ways to, you know, work within your budget. So I would just encourage anybody who is thinking of hiring a doula, but might have some reservations to reach out and just see what your options are before shutting it down. Because you might be surprised. Absolutely,

Emily Mason 27:11
I think I was in that category of somebody seeing me in my most vulnerable state and naked, and by the time we got to the 26th hour of labor, I did not care if I had clothes on or if I did not.

Jamie Peters 27:27
Oh my gosh, I Yes. I wanted to be here. Yes. I always tell them, I'm like, Look, you might not be able to envision this now, but I promise you, the majority of women, by the time they are ready to push this baby out like you do not care, you have not a care left in the world. Dignity has gone out the window because you have had your legs and stirrups and doctors and nurses and all of the people have been coming in and seeing it, and so we're fine.

Emily Mason 28:03
That's 100% i i went into labor at 35 and a half weeks, and it was a 27 hour labor, and I was at a teaching hospital and all it was like, 30 people in the room at all times, and I'm like, wow, everybody. I just I get 27 hours. I was like, I'm gonna go to sleep if somebody does not help me get this baby out, because she does not want to come out, and I'm done. So it was, yeah, you're you don't even think about and you don't even my words coming out of my mouth. My husband and my mom were like, You were not nice to a lot of people. I'm like, I was I it was done. Like, we were up for a long time. So you don't and and that, I think that's where that that doula can act as that buffer, because at that point, she knew I was done, and we had that plan. We knew what interventions we wanted what I didn't want. And I was, you know, put into a position of a C section or a vacuum extraction and she was very much like, this baby is five and a half weeks early, like you're not delivering a 10 pound baby, so it's much safer to do the vacuum extraction piece and and try that first. And I think in that moment, like I couldn't make that, like I couldn't make a rational decision. I didn't know what was safer or not safer. And she was able to help me weigh those pros and cons.

Jamie Peters 29:36
Yeah, and that's the thing. You're just so tapped out mentally and physically, that it's it can become so hard and so overwhelming to try to make decisions in the midst of labor, especially when something is kind of going off of plan, or, you know, even becomes emergent. It's almost. Impossible. That's why a birth plan is so great and so helpful. You know, we, of course, know that not everything goes to plan, and babies have a mind of their own and are going to do what they want, when they want, and how they want, and we're totally aware of that, but just having that plan and being informed of your choices ahead of time makes, you, know, maybe last minute or unplanned choices a lot less scary. You know, if you're hearing of an intervention or a medication name or a procedure for the very first time, when they're telling you this is what you need. That's so overwhelming and so scary, and you kind of just freeze up and don't know what to choose. So if you and your doula have discussed it beforehand, that is like 100% better. Or if it's something that you didn't get to discuss, at least the doula is there in our unfrazzled mind to be able to help you make those decisions. Weigh the pros and cons, because, like you said, it was so hard to try to make those decisions when you're just exhausted and at the end of your rope, and that's really just a recipe for disaster, absolutely.

Emily Mason 31:23
So you've given us a plethora of tips already and helpful tidbits of advice. But do you have any last pieces of advice or tips for our listeners?

Jamie Peters 31:37
So my biggest piece of advice would be to hire a doula. Obviously, if you can, there are lots of other options, you know, within doula groups, and you know, maybe a doula that's just starting out can have, you know, their price range in a more attainable range for you if cost is an issue, or, you know, scaring you a little bit, because, gosh, kids are expensive as it is. So you know, if it's a cost issue, shop around, speak to a doula, see what their options are, and just if you can find somebody that works for you, that aligns with you, I don't think you'll regret it. Most of our clients, we hear the feedback of we couldn't have done it without you. You know, you are the reason why my birth was so successful. And you know, I don't know what I would have done without you in the postpartum period. They're just usually so, so grateful for the knowledge that they gained and the support that they had. And we have lots of returning clients that are on their second, third, even fourth baby. So I feel like that speaks for itself the importance of having a doula. And you know, real people who have used a doula before seek them out, you know, on their next baby. So that just goes to show you how valuable it was for them. So if you're expecting, look into a doula, try not to let roadblocks get you down too much. You can almost always find somebody that will be a good match for you and just educate yourself as much as possible. There are a lot of resources nowadays online and on YouTube and, gosh, all, all of the things at our fingertips, but it can be really, really overwhelming as well to have information thrown at you every which way, so somebody to kind of help you sort through that information is, is nice because there are, there's a lot of it, which is, it can be Good, but also overwhelming Absolutely.

Emily Mason 34:01
Thank you so much to all of our guests who joined us for this episode today. Be sure to check out new mommy media.com where we have all of our podcast episodes, plus videos and more

that wraps up our show for today. Thanks for listening. If you love Craigie pals as much as we do, please consider checking out the amazing businesses that sponsor our show week after week. And we'd also love for you to tell another pregnant momma about this resource, which, of course, is absolutely free. And if you want to check out some of the other podcasts we produce, such as newbies, parent savers, the boob group and twin talks, then visit our website, at New mommy media.com thanks for listening to preggy pals. Your pregnancy your way.

Disclaimer 34:54
This has been a new mommy media production, the information and material contained in the. This episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those on new mommy media and should not be considered facts. While such information and materials are released to be accurate. It is not intended to replace or substitute for professional medical advice or care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problem or disease or prescribing any medication. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider you.