The word doula is becoming more and more of a familiar one but there are lots of people out there who still aren't quite sure what exactly this word means. At Kitchen Doula, I use the word in a fairly expansive way to mean anyone who takes care of another person (for us, that's taking care of them through nourishing food!) in a time when they need support. I wanted to fill out this definition a bit more so I decided to do a Q & A with an amazing SF-based doula, Claudia Peñate who just so happens to have been my birth doula when I had my son. Here's more from Claudia:Â
Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be a doula.
My name is Claudia and I was born and raised in San Francisco. I have a background in Nursing and worked in Oncology for about 12 years and in Hospice for about 3 years. I also worked in Reproductive Health helping women undergoing IVF. And most recently, I have started training those wanting to become birth doulas at Natural Resources in SF for their Birth Doula training program. I have two sons. Jay who is 27 and lives in the East Bay so he isn't too far and Aiden who is 12 yrs old going on 30 (fun fact, the boys are 14 yrs apart but both had the same due date. Ha! None made it to that day). With Jay, I was induced at 37 weeks for preeclampsia and had a "short" induction of 20 hours. I used Nitrous Oxide and my water broke on my own. I had no idea what was happening, even though I had the sweetest team of nurses explaining it all to me; I had no clue and left the hospital wondering "What the heck just happened?" And with Aiden, I was also 37 weeks and my water broke first and then..crickets - no contractions for about 8 hours or so. I was GBS positive so I had to head to the hospital and get my rounds of antibiotics before this baby arrived. I had him 12 hours later unmedicated because I went from 6-10 cm in less than an hour. No one in the room believed me that his head was coming out until I had to yell at someone to check and, oh ya, I had to not push through what felt like 3 contractions so they could break the bed apart and get a doctor in the room! Those experiences right there: even though I can't remember all the specifics, I remember how those experiences made me feel. I left feeling not sure why I wasn't heard or really able to make my own decisions and left questioning a lot of my care. I put that on the back burner and knew that one day I would be able to return to this and do more. The reason I shared bits of my own experiences is because this is what got my gears going. I worked in the healthcare system and yet had no idea how the world of Obstetrics was set up and functioned in our hospital system. And what was scarier was that I left feeling like they knew what was best for me and I was just along for the ride. I did not feel empowered or heard. So fast forward to 9 years later, I decided to take that leap of faith and took a birth doula training program. My goal as a Birth doula is to prepare, educate, empower and help families be seen and heard throughout this process. That is why I became a Birth Doula.
How do you define what a doula is?
I define a Birth doula as one who provides education, emotional support and compassion along with the physical support for a family's journey to birth.
How can a doula be helpful during and after birth?
We help provide a lot of emotional support as well as physical support. Labor is intense and emotionally a rollercoaster. One definitely can benefit from having someone there to walk along that journey with them and remind them why they are here and how incredible they are. We help guide them and also hold space for them. We help them to process emotions and talk through decisions all while the person is laboring. After birth, we help them with whatever may be needed during that immediate postpartum, anywhere from helping baby latch for breastfeeding to running to get the parents some food and helping partner get some skin to skin time with the baby as well. All of these of course are things we like to talk to them during our prenatal appointments as well. Â
What are some of the most important things to focus on when preparing for birth and postpartum?
I think one that I really strive in doing is to help the laboring person find their voice. And to help them know that their voice is important. That their inner voice is what is to be heard and ok to go with their gut instinct. Find their inner strength. Preparing for both birth and postpartum helps to navigate bumps and/or challenges once one is actually in it; whatever may be happening in that moment- they could stop and think "I went through this during prenatals...ahhhh, it all makes sense as to why I am feeling what I am feeling" or "yes, this is to be expected because of ..." Preparation helps to reduce the stress and anxiety of feeling like "why is this happening?" or "what is wrong with me?" It helps because we may have a better understanding of what is happening and that it is all part of the process and although it may not feel good or is scary, it is temporary and it will pass. And, it's to be expected. And that is why it is so important that partners and or other support people are also included in the prep work, so they can also remind the laboring person that this is normal and all part of the process.Â
What do you love most about being a doula?
I love helping families throughout this experience. I believe this is how it should always be done. It has been done from the beginning of time. The birthing person with their village. Helping alongside through this natural process. I love the education and preparation of it all. I love to help the family remove the fear and anxiety of birth and replace it with empowerment, knowledge and excitement. It fills my cup.Â
What does a fertility doula do?
Fertility doula support includes a review of your fertility history and discussion of goals and a plan. I make connections to other holistic practitioners to help optimize your journey. I offer unlimited text/email support as well as weekly check-in virtual sessions. The journey is very unpredictable, a lot of uncharted territory and I’ve noticed couples learn as they go. I worked in reproductive health so I have seen the struggles and the journey can be extremely long, discouraging, and stressful so helping set up a game plan works. Being a sounding board helps and to remind them that they are not alone in this. I’m also a licensed nurse so I also help families who are undergoing IVF treatment with education on medications and administering them at home.
Dr John Kennel says it best..."If a Doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it."
You can find Claudia at www.claudiapenate.com