One of the most talked about things in student doula groups is what to pack in a doula bag. As a newer doula, you might be searching for the best doula tools. While there are many wonderful things to pack in your doula bag, you might be surprised what the best doula tools are. Your hands and mind!
You, the doula, are the best doula tool. Your hands and mind can do so much at a birth. And while your doula bag might have some great items, nothing is as valuable as your hands and mind.
Here’s why the best doula tools are your hands and mind:
Your Hands Can Increase Physiological Birth Rates
Did you know that parents who use doulas are less likely to utilize epidural pain medication? And of those who do utilize pain medication, they are more likely to get it after labor is more established. This reduces the risk of needing additional interventions.
The best doula tool for increasing physiological birth is your hands because they can aid in many ways. Ways your hands can reduce the need for pain medication include:
- Assisting with position changes
- Massage
- Double hip squeeze
- Counter pressure
- Acupressure (if you’re qualified)
When you are able to help alleviate pain and help clients focus, they are less likely to need or desire pain medication. For those who do require or desire pain medication, your hands can help reduce potential side effects.
For example, when an epidural is given earlier in labor it might slow labor down. Your hands are one of the best doula tools because they can delay getting an epidural. They can also aid in frequent position changes once an epidural is placed. Both of those things can reduce the risk of needing additional interventions after an epidural.
Your Mind is Invaluable
Deep in labor it can be difficult to make informed decisions. It can also be easy to forget about personal goals, preferences, etc. As an evidenced-based and caring doula, you can support your clients by reminding them of their options.
Many parents change their personal goals and preferences during labor. However, reminding them of their options can be vital in having a positive birth experience. Giving parents a little reminder of their options and how to make informed decisions will help them feel like an active participant in the birth experience.
This can be true even if they require intervention. By helping them go through things like the BRAIN acronym can be helpful. If you are not familiar with BRAIN:
- Benefit – What is the benefit for me? For baby?
- Risk – What is the risk for me? For baby?
- Alternatives – What alternatives exist?
- Intuition – What is your gut feeling?
- Nothing – What happens if we do nothing? For a bit? For a while?
What makes a difference between a positive birth experience and a negative one is not always how things unfold but how someone felt. Did they feel like an active participant in the decision-making process? When someone feels involved, it is empowering, even when things do not go as expected.
The Best Doula Tools – Your Hands and Mind
When a client is going through transition, second stage, or just a difficult moment in labor, YOU are a vital tool.
Your experience and knowledge can help you guide your client into a beneficial position. Your hands can provide a strong but encouraging and supportive touch. Your words of encouragement can aid in empowering the client and helping them feel safe.
While there are amazing tools like rebozos, massagers, birthing balls, etc., you are the best tool because you can ebb and flow to the needs of a client.
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...