Photo Credit: Wikipedia
As Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, prepares to welcome her new baby with Prince Harry this spring, she is sure to be busy making lots of decisions on nursery colors, pram options and adorable new outfits for the impending royal. One decision British papers are reporting she made is to hire a doula, which is a departure from tradition for the Royal Family.
A doula is different from a midwife or doctor in that doulas are not medical professionals. Rather, a doula offers continuous, non-judgmental support and comfort measures before, during and after birth to the parent(s). The support a doula offers can be emotional, physical and/or educational in nature. Some of the comfort measures a doula can offer includes touch techniques, breathing techniques and comfort positions to help ease the pain of labor. Doulas are there to assist the mom in labor, however, they by no means take the place of the other parent. The doula can help the partner offer the best support possible and they can also take turns offering support so no one gets too tired during the process.
Numerous studies, such as the Cochrane Review, have supported the use of a doula during childbirth to help the mother have a more positive experience during childbirth. Studies have shown that the use of a doula can decrease the use of Pitocin, the incidence of Cesarean Section and increase in the incidence of the birthing mother feeling like she had a more positive overall birth experience.
There is no word yet on whether the Duchess of Sussex will acquire a postpartum doula, which could offer educational support about breastfeeding and caring for the baby. They can also offer physical support in the form of cooking meals, cleaning and/or taking care of older siblings while the new parents bond with the baby. They also offer much needed emotional support as the mom settles into a new routine.
Whichever choices Meghan Markle makes in her journey to motherhood, we will have to wait patiently to find out. Meghan is due in April.
Author: Aliza Juliette Bancoff
Aliza Juliette Bancoff is a well-known doula and doula trainer who has been providing doula services to families for over a decade. She is the founder of Main Line Doulas, a doula group providing doula support in the great Philadelphia area for the last decade, the International Doula Institute, which provides online doula training and lactation training and certification programs and the International Breastfeeding Institute which provides lactation training and certification. She is the co-founder of United Birth, a company devoted to increasing access to doulas across the country to make the perinatal time safer both physically and emotionally. “Every birthing person deserves access to quality doula support. And we are working to make that a reality across the country. The work we are doing to get doulas to every birthing person will decrease the black infant and maternal mortality rate significantly by 2030.” Says Bancoff. Aliza is known for her compassionate and empowering approach to doula work, and she has been featured in numerous media outlets, including United Nations Maternal Health Report, Parent Magazine, CafeMom, theBump and many more. Aliza's journey into doula work began when she gave birth to her first child and felt a strong calling...