Support From Afar: How To Decide If A Virtual Doula Is Right For You
Traditionally, doulas have attended births in a variety of settings from hospitals, to home, to birth centers and more. Thankfully more and more birthing locations are recognizing the evidence for the support of doulas, and many have programs and policies that allow a trained professional doula to accompany a woman in labor, and sometimes even in the operating room for a cesarean birth. However, in 2020 with the emergence and surge of COVID-19 infections and the ensuing pandemic, many hospitals and birthing locations were forced to enact additional policies and procedures to limit the number of people coming and going from their facilities. Tragically in many cases, those policies prohibited visitation or accompaniment of additional support people to the laboring mother, including a professional doula. Even in the midst of evidence surrounding the importance of labor support, the severity of the global health crisis prompted these facilities to take extreme measures in an effort to protect patients and staff, and with hopes of containing the spread of disease.
One glimmer of hope, however, was that many doulas began to shift their efforts to online and virtual means of which they would support their clients in labor. Many of these doulas utilized platforms such as Zoom, FaceTime and others to stay in touch with their clients during pregnancy, labor and delivery. Although the doula could not be there to provide physical support, their coaching, guidance, encouragement and emotional support provided was able to help many, many birthing women remain confident and calm during their birth experience, even in the midst of chaos. Presently in 2021, many hospitals and birth centers in the United States have opened their doors once again to doulas and other support people, but in some cases, women are still choosing virtual doula support for one reason or another. If you desire the support of a doula for your pregnancy, labor and birth, but aren’t sure if you need in-person or virtual support, there are a few things to consider in your decision-making process.
Pros of Virtual Doula Support
Much like “in-person” support, virtual doula support can help families feel prepared and excited through their pregnancy and in preparation for labor and delivery. Virtual doulas can provide families with the information, education, encouragement and assistance needed when it comes to making informed decisions about their care, understanding certain procedures/tests, or generating thoughtful questions to ask their provider or midwife. While an in-person support doula would offer in-person meetings, a virtual doula offers virtual meetings that accomplish all of the same goals: education, an opportunity to ask questions, assistance with creating a birth, postpartum and newborn care plan, and an opportunity to get to know each other and share how you feel the doula can best support you.
Virtual doulas may also often share additional resources with families to equip them for at-home preparation in the doulas absence. For example, the doula may link to videos, photos or other content that can help pregnant women and their partners practice physical positioning to cope with contractions during each stage of labor. Virtual doulas may also offer additional classes or educational workshops about childbirth or breastfeeding.
During labor and delivery, a virtual doula may be with you throughout the entire process via video, or at your request may only check in periodically through your labor via video, call or text. Either way, your virtual doula will still be there at your side for the support and advocacy you may need or want during your labor and delivery.
Things To Consider
Virtual doula support may not be for you, if you wish to have your doula in person with you for the birth of your baby. If your doula is present with you during early labor contractions, she can easily assess the situation and may be able to help you make decisions on what comfort measures to try, or if/when you should call your care provider, head to the hospital, or settle in for a planned homebirth.
If you do not have a support person, partner or spouse who is able to be with you in person for the birth of your baby, having a doula with you in the room may help you feel calm and confident, and the doula may be able to help you with physical comfort measures, and provide the emotional support that you deserve.
If you do plan for virtual doula support, you may also need to make sure that you have the means to communicate and connect with your doula virtually throughout your entire labor and delivery. This may mean visiting the hospital ahead of time to ensure good cellular service or a public WiFi connection you can use. You also may need to plan on bringing extra devices to the hospital as well as charging cables or backup batteries to ensure that you are able to stay connected with your doula throughout labor and birth.
When it comes to infant feeding, a virtual doula is able to help from afar by sending helpful, digital content to help you with breast or bottle feeding your baby. An in-person doula may be able to better assist with things like positioning and latch, however a virtual doula can help you get in touch with a lactation consultant or infant feeding specialist in your area to give you the hand-on support you need.
No matter what you choose, your doula will be there to support you in every way that she can, whether in-person or from afar. Your doula is excited to get to work with you and support you and your partner during such an exciting and important transition in your lives, and will do whatever it takes to ensure you feel confident, comfortable and supported all through your labor and delivery, whether she is able to be there in person or not. If you’d like to explore my offerings for virtua doula support, please send me a message on the Contact page - I’d be happy to chat with you! If you are not local to me and are looking for a doula who could best serve you in-person, a good place to start is to check DoulaMatch.com for available doulas in your area.