Childbirth Education and Doulas

What’s the relationship between a well-rounded, complete childbirth education program (like the one here at Riverfront!) and the support of a trained, professional doula (like the ones here at Riverfront!)? It’s a relationship a bit like peanut butter and jelly.

It might seem like you only really need one or the other. A peanut butter sandwich is good. Adding peanut butter definitely makes your bread tastier. Jelly alone also makes your bread tastier. “If I take a great childbirth education program, I’ll know everything I need to know to have a great birth!” “If I have a doula, she’ll give me all the support I need to have a great birth!”

Both of these things are true.

But.

Put them both together, and the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts. Peanut butter AND jelly AND bread? Yum. Childbirth education AND a doula AND you? Wowza.

So goes the relationship between your childbirth education class and your doula’s support. The purpose of a great birth education series like ours is to show you all the options available to you so you can pick and choose what appeals to you for your birth. You will learn all the options out there for caring for yourself during pregnancy and for having a great birth experience. You’ll be able to make a birth plan that organizes your desires for your birth and facilitates discussion between you and your care providers. You can take control of your experience and make educated, informed decisions.

And then comes your doula. Her job is to support you in these decisions. It’s one thing to know what you want, it’s another to have the confidence to go out and get it. Your doula will support those decisions you made in childbirth education and back you up when you ask for what you want during your birth. Oh, and she’ll remind you of all those comfort techniques you learned in class and help you implement them along with your partner!

Childbirth education and doulas are both great things that will positively impact your birth experience. But together? Oh, man! What a dream team. There’s nothing like knowing you’re making the best decisions for your family and having a trained professional in your corner backing you up.