Let's talk about doula: How to choose your doula?

In today’s video, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ann Fulcher, doula and head of the Hearts and Hands UCSD volunteer doula program.

We talked about doulas, their role and the differences between an at-home doula and an on-call one. So if you’re thinking about hiring a doula, this video is a must watch because Ann answered the question “how to choose your doula?” and the number one questions to ask to make sure you are compatible with them and you’re making the right choice for you and your partner.

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By Leslie Abraham

You can watch the full interview by clicking on the video above or listen to it on our podcast. Here is what Ann and I talked about:

Who is Ann Fulcher?

Ann Fulcher is a certified doula, a certified lactation educator, and instructor. She has been head of the Hearts & Hands Volunteer Doula Program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center since it began in 2000. She recruits and trains doulas, and serves as a liaison between volunteers, families, and the hospital’s healthcare team.

Her current work also includes training nurses in non-clinical labor support techniques that have been shown to impact birth outcomes for both the new mother and newborn. She has a unique depth of experience as a doula working full-time, as a staff member of a large academic hospital, and as a private doula within the San Diego community.

Ann has attended over 900 births as a doula herself, has co-authored articles in medical and nursing journals, presented at national and international conferences, and works to assist other organizations interested in creating doula programs.

Ann is a pioneer in the doula world. She has more than 20 years of experience and really saw the evolution of the doula field in the country but also internationally.

What are the differences between a midwife and a doula?

Midwives are highly medically trained, meaning that they are an alternative to doctors when it comes to delivering babies during a normal, healthy pregnancy and childbirth, but also provide well-woman care during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.

Doula are more here to partner with the family, for emotional and physical support. They don’t have any medical responsibilities or training like midwives- they don’t provide any medical care or give medical advice. I like to see them as Jiminy cricket in Pinocchio, they are here to suggest things and share with you non clinical information such as reminding you to drink, or to move if you feel uncomfortable, or show your partner some manipulation to help you with back pain for instance. But also encouraging you, reassuring your partner, and being an emotional support. They are working along-side the nurses, doctors and/or midwives.

Later in the interview, Ann is explaining to me that there are different types of doula:

Birth doulas who are here to assist you during labor and delivery
Postpartum doulas who are here to help you with baby during the first weeks or so

She is also adding that basically, doulas have been there since the world exists! We always have seen testimonials of births with someone, from outside the family, staying along the delivering mom. Think about all the Kings and Queens movies you had seen, there is always someone indeed who is not actually delivering the baby but helping the mom, supporting her emotionally, to go through the whole process!

Ann is adding on the “power of NOW” when working with a family. She is paying attention to their needs, what the mother needs, wants and finds ways to ease the moment.

“What does she needs right now? What's happening right now? I look at her and I let her tell me what's going on in her head and what she's needing physically right now."
Ann Fulcher

How to choose your doula and what questions to ask?

Ann shared some really insightful comments about this. She says that:

You should shop around, like you should do for hospitals
You want to make sure you can have a strong connection with your doula because of the strong intimacy of your birth experience
Pick someone you would be comfortable to be naked with!
Ask questions on his/her training
Ask questions about the types of births she/he attended to, the number of births is not that relevant, more his or her philosophy, or way of seeing it. Make sure it is align with what you want
Ask them to tell you about different birth stories they had with other families

Finally, don’t wait too long before hiring a doula but don’t rush neither!

If you want more expert goodness, you can check Jeanne-Marie Paynel’s interview, where we talked about postitive parenting!

I absolutely LOVED this episode and I hope you liked it as much as I did to record it. Let me know in the comments if there are more topics that you might be interested in hearing about. I will be hosting, from now on, an expert talk once a month on different topics. So feel free to share with me what you want to see!