​I always love looking back at last year's birthwork - even if it takes me until nearly the end of the first quarter of the following year to actually gather that information!  Taxes are filed, stats have been compiled, and my 2016 year in review blog post has now been written (finally!)  Here are some fun facts about my 2016 doula practice. 


2016 Year in Review
​

• 13 births attended
• 5 girls, 8 boys
• Over 135 hours spent supporting births
• Longest time at a birth: 25.5 hours
• Shortest time at a birth: 3 hours 
• Average time spent at a birth: 10.5 hours
• Most frequent length of time at a birth: Really varied.  I attended some really quick births this year and some really long ones with everything in between!  My median length for 2016 is 9.25 hours
• Care provider practice I worked with most frequently: OSU Midwives (2/3 of the births I attended in 2016 were with this practice.  Yay for midwifery care!) 
• Most frequented hospital: OSU Wexner Medical Center (3/4 of the births I attended in 2016 were at OSU.  Go Bucks!) 
• Attended births at 5 hospitals (OSU Wexner Medical Center, Mount Carmel St. Ann's, Grant Medical Center, Riverside Methodist, and Marysville Memorial hospitals)
• Attended a Spinning Babies workshop
• Traveled nearly 1800 miles

2017 is off to a great start.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store! 

​I'm active in a local online parenting group called Columbus Natural Parenting. If you have a question that needs answered it's a great group to crowd-source as everyone is happy to share their personal experiences and insights. Something that comes up frequently is someone asking for recommendations for OB/GYNs in Columbus, OH.

Choosing the care provider who is right for you and your birth is a very important decision and recommendations are very subjective.  We're lucky to have a lot of options in Columbus, but it can also be overwhelming trying to figure out who to work with.

Here are some tips for finding the obstetrician or midwife who is the best fit for you.
 


1. Ask for Recommendations

The best place to start is by asking people you know which practice or care provider they see and like. Not all recommendations are created equal though so I would recommend the following things:

• Ask for what you're looking for.  What kind of birth are you hoping to have?  Maybe that's not the kind of birth the person offering the recommendation had or desired. Ask more specific questions like, "who is the best OB/GYN for natural birth?" or, "who is the best doctor for VBAC?" or, "who is the best high risk doctor?" You have unique needs so providing additional information will help you to receive better suited recommendations.

• Ask for the why behind their recommendation.  People offer recommendations for many reasons.  Maybe they have only ever seen this OB/GYN, but haven't had a baby. Liking a doctor's personality during office visits might not make them the best fit for your birth. Maybe they had an ideal birth with this care provider, but everything unfolded without a hitch.  That's different than someone that hit some bumps on their journey and had to navigate those challenges with their care provider. Background information as to why this is their recommendation is good to consider.

• Ask a doula or labor and delivery nurse.  Doulas and nurses work with a variety of care providers in action so they're able to provide insight into how they practice when it comes to birth.  

         As a doula I can tell you who some of the more popular care providers in our area              are for natural birth. I can suggest who you might want to check out if you're                      hoping to have a VBAC, who is open to supporting your wishes for a family-                        centered cesarean, or which high-risk OB has a great bedside manner. 

         I can also help you formulate questions to ask your current care provider or a new            care provider you're considering to see whether your values align.  



2. Interview Potential Doctors and Midwives

Choosing the OB/GYN or midwife who is right for you is a critical decision when it comes to birth.  You want to make sure that you're a good fit for one another because they have a lot of influence over what will happen during your birthing time.  You want to work with someone you trust so you feel confident in the information and recommendations they're offering you.  You want to work with someone who provides individualized, patient-centered care so your desires and wishes are respected.  And you want to work with someone who has a good amount of experience in the type of birth you're hoping for.

You want to work with someone who will work with you as a team.  You want to have trust in them and their abilities just as they have trust in you and your abilities.

The best way to gain trust and understanding is to communicate in depth with them as to what your preferences are and how they typically practice.  Don't be afraid to interview several providers to find the best fit.



3. Don't Choose a Practice Based on Convenience

Often people will choose a practice located close to where they live/work. We're very lucky to have many providers to choose from in Columbus located all around the city. Location is something to consider, but for most people this is ultimately not the most important factor. Yes, it can be a pain to drive across the city, especially when you get to the point where you have weekly office visits, but a little extra driving is usually worth it in the end if it means seeing a doctor or midwife that you feel good with.

This is also important when it comes to choosing which hospital to birth at.  Hospitals have different policies, staff, environments, tools, and see a different variety of births (for example, some may see more cesarean birth, high-risk births, VBACs, or unmedicated births than others depending on a multitude of factors.) Where you birth matters.  Where the hospital is located might not be the most important factor to you.



4. Don't Be Afraid to Switch Practices

Sometimes people feel stuck where they are.  They don't want to deal with switching to a new care provider or practice so they just stay put.  If you're feeling dissatisfied with your current care provider or like you may be better served somewhere else, make the switch!  It's important that you feel comfortable and confident with your care provider and you don't want to regret sticking with the wrong fit when the choice is so important. Often, switching providers is as simple as your new practice requesting that your old practice transfer your records.  



Ultimately, there is no one "best" care provider.  There are many factors to consider when making this very important choice and what may be the best fit for one person may not be the same for another.  Just like with any other decision it's important to explore your options so you can make a choice about which you feel confident.


How did you find your doctor or midwife?

​My doula partner Hollie and I recently had the opportunity to talk about doulas on Fox 28's Good Day Columbus. They also interviewed two of our past clients as well as a doula friend of ours who is pregnant and planning to use doula support for her upcoming birth. We had a lot of fun filming!  

Here's the segment:

Good Day Columbus had to edit about 2 hours worth of raw footage into a three minute segment, which I'm sure is always a challenge!  I think they did a good job of introducing the concept of doulas, especially to an audience who may never have even heard of the term "doula"!  Because the segment was so abbreviated I wanted to expand a bit on some things they included.  


Pain Management 

The segment focused a lot on doulas being useful for pain management.  It's true, doulas are trained in, and knowledgeable about, a wide variety of comfort measures which can help you stay more comfortable during labor. Whether it's suggesting a variety of positions to try, utilizing massage, performing counter-pressure, helping you to relax your body, or employing tools from our birth bag, we definitely bring along options for pain management!  

But doulas are so much more than that.  We offer physical, emotional, and informational support before, during,and immediately following birth.  We work together prenatally, helping you understand your options, assisting you in working through any questions or fears you may have, and ultimately helping you feel confident and prepared going into your birth. The prenatal work we do often seems less appreciated before people experience it, (maybe it's just not as flashy as a double hip-squeeze in the moment!) but it really is an important part of the process and allows us to work with you more efficiently during birth.

Additionally, helping you obtain information and navigate your options during labor, being there to effectively process events as they unfold, supporting you immediately postpartum as you're navigating that first baby feeding, providing information and appropriate referrals once you're home from the hospital (and more!) is all priceless.

Doulas are a personalized and comprehensive resource during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.  We are not just a tool for pain management!



​Mind-numbing Pain

After pretty comprehensive interviews with both Hollie's and my past clients they chose to show clips of them both talking briefly about pain.  Hollie's client talks about how they came up with a code word for an epidural and her client was saying it in her head, but never out loud.  My client mentions she had periods of "mind-numbing pain" where she couldn't move or talk.  It's unsurprising they focused on these snippets because that's what everyone wants to talk about when it comes to birth, especially "natural" (unmedicated) birth, right?  

The truth is, birth is challenging and at times uncomfortable, but so are a lot of things that involve your body working hard. During specific periods birth can be especially intense and challenging, that doesn't mean it's a negative experience.

What the segment left out was the rest of the interviews where the women talked about what amazing experiences they had and how they would love to do it all over again. How they felt empowered and how much of a positive impact doula support had on their experiences.  



Like a BFF Who Knows Some Stuff

It was a little off-putting how the promos surrounding the segment talked about things like "strangers replacing dads" or the news anchor who said doulas are like "a BFF who knows some stuff".  

Doulas are knowledgeable, experienced professionals who support women and their families through birth.  We're not just a "BFF" who has a lot of knowledge about birth. We're not just a paid companion. We're trained professionals who perform a specialized role during the birthing process.  

In some ways we are a companion on your journey. We bring an intuitive, calming presence and our goal is to help you have the best possible experience. So, I guess we're a "BFF" in that way.  

We're certainly far from "a complete stranger" who replaces your husband/partner. First, we work WITH your partner and help them to support you effectively throughout a process that they're usually fairly unfamiliar with.  Second, we definitely get to know each other during the interview process as well as at our prenatal visits.  By the time your labor begins we'll feel comfortable with one another and be ready to work as a team.



Things I Wish They Had Included 

Again, this was a 3 minute segment.  Doula support is multi-faceted and it would take much more time to really explore it in depth.  There are a few points important to Hollie and I that we did touch on during filming, but didn't make it into the televised segment:

• Hollie and I are proud to be part of a local organization called Central Ohio Doulas. It's a fantastic group of doulas who are supportive of one another and who are working on both an individual and collective scale to foster positive professional relationships in the community. Sometimes there's an idea that doctors or midwives don't like to work with doulas and while there are certainly a range of opinions, experiences, and understanding out there, our local community is mostly welcoming of doulas. We frequently receive direct referrals from health care providers and have a formal relationship with one local practice. Additionally, one of our local hospitals offers its own in-house doula program. As I said in the interview, doula support is much more mainstream that it used to be.

• Doulas are for ALL types of births!  A big misconception that exists is doulas are only useful to people planning unmedicated births.  Not true! We have experience supporting a wide range of births. We support inductions, cesarean births, births with epidurals, VBACs, unmedicated/"natural" births and everything in between! We bring specialized support and experience to every situation.  One of the cornerstones of how we practice is to offer non-judgmental support to help you have the birth you desire.

• Doulas are evidence-based!  Research shows that mothers with doula support tend to have shorter, easier births with fewer interventions. They also have increased success with breastfeeding and a smoother transition into motherhood overall.

Hollie and I love being doulas! We're glad that Good Day Columbus did a segment on doulas and we were honored to participate. We hope we introduced doulas to some new people!