when should I hire a doula?

The earlier the better, honey!!

**update: I relinquished the burden of my full spectrum doula certification process and became a Certified Maternal Health Consultant still serving in the capacity of labor and birth support with advanced doula skills.***

As you may or may not know I have recently began my birth support services. I attended a training to become a birth doula earlier this year and currently working on certifications with 8 births. I am currently on birth number four.

I kind of worked backwards with my education and training in birth work. I started as a self taught Postpartum Doula assisting mostly with bed rest clients and referrals lead me to more moms that had more complicated questions with breastfeeding so I became Certified as a Breastfeeding Specialist, BLS certified, Certified Community Health Worker, trained PAIL Pregnancy and Infant loss advocate and working on certification currently now......Whew!

and now finally took the plunge and and became a trained doula currently working on certification with 4/8 births and I have love every minute of it. Birth is synonymous with postpartum and can heavily influence how you initiate breastfeeding and transition into your postpartum experience.

But most importantly

Evidence has shown that pregnant persons who have a doula are:

less likely to need Pitocin.

less likely to have a cesarean birth.

less likely to use any pain medication.

more likely to rate their childbirth experience positively

babies have a lower AGPAR score

One question I've been asked repeatedly recently is when is the best time to hire a doula, Jada?

From my perspective working with families particularly in the postpartum, I would say the earlier the better because a doula can change the trajectory of your pregnancy and labor into a memorable and confident experience.

Your doula will help you to prepare not only for your birth but also help you to prepare for a smoother transition into your postpartum recovery through detailed postpartum planning and support. The emotional suooort given is the biggest component because first time honeys are waking into a world unknowns and it helps to have a knowledgeable professional by your side to answer advocate for the questions you can't ask or maybe forgot to? Remember fear can be paralyzing. Don't panic, take charge of what you can control.

Some

Doulas provide a full childbirth education which could take a few weeks but most are trained reinforce what you've learned in a childbirth class setting. Taking these classes and finding the doula sooner than later can make a bigger impact.

It's recommended to find your doula at the latest by 20 weeks or so.

Why so early?

❣️I curate an individualized plan for you and your health history. Although I only provide emotional, educational

and physical support, no two pregnancies are alike, honey! Let’s build a connection! I’m kind of like an extended family member!

❣️I can give you as much education and build the confidence needed to work through fears and anxiety about birth and breastfeeding

❣️I educate you on the birthing process through hands on demonstration and connectedness.

❣️I lend support to you and your family’s needs especially your partner

❣️I am a listening non judgemental ear

I’d love to serve you, honey...

Are you considering a doula? I really think you should. Let's chat about your curated birth vision, today!

******This blog post is not meant to replace the advice of your medical provider. It is simply meant to keep families abreast of evidence based information to make better informed decisions.

Jada Metcalf | is a mom of two, Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, trained Birth and Postpartum Doula, ROSE Community Transformer, Community Health Worker in training, PAIL advocate, 2022 IBLCE candidate and perinatal Boobtïk business owner of the Milk + Honey Co. Health information on this site is based on peer-reviewed medical journals, textbooks and highly respected health organizations and institutions including the CDC (Center for Disease Control), AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), WHO ( World Health Organization), NIH (National Institute of Health), ABM (Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine) Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, 5th Edition, Wambach Spencer)