Dos Doulas

I was not planning on having a doula at my birth, but I’m so glad that I did, and that I chose to work with Cori and Sarah! For the first 36 weeks of my pregnancy, I was preparing to have a homebirth and my midwife required a doula for first-​time mothers. Cori and Sarah were on her list of recommended (and vey experienced) doulas, and when I met with them, I knew they were the ones for me. They were friendly, generous, kind, and knowledgeable.
My birth plan changed during my 36^th week of pregnancy due to a low-​lying placenta. I was very disappointed that I was not going to be able to have the birth I’d been planning for, but Cori and Sarah were incredibly reassuring, knowledgeable, and helpful as I made the transition from midwife to doctor, homebirth to hospital, and natural birth to possible c-​section. We met and discussed my new birth plan, and Cori and Sarah educated me about what I could ask for and expect when it came to a hospital birth. They helped me to understand the range of possibilities and options for giving birth at the hospital I had chosen, and recommended resources for educating and preparing myself so that I could have a positive experience with either a vaginal birth or a c-​section.
When I went into labor, Cori guided me through my contractions and anxieties, anf helped me to have the best birth I possibly could. I wanted a drug-​free birth, and wanted my husband to play a big role in helping me through my labor. Cori’s expertise, encouragement, and interactions with the doctor and nurses attending my birth helped me to have a fantastic birth that exceeded my expectations and made me feel strong and proud. I am convinced that I would not have had the birth experience that I did without Cori’s tirelessness and dedication.
Cori and Sarah will help you to have the best possible birth because they genuinely work with you to understand what YOUR hopes and fears about birth are. It’s wonderfully reassuring to have such fantastic women on your birth team.

GUYS, YOU NEED A DOULA, TOO.
The advice we heard over and over when we announced my wife was pregnant was «get a doula.» I would offer «get a Dos Doula.» Cori and Sarah are both exceptional. Sarah ultimately attended our birth, but both were with us along the whole journey and we were thrilled with both of them.
The benefits of a doula for the woman can not be understated. They are well documented (anecdotally and statistically) and universally accepted. My wife sums up working with Dos Doulas with «a warm maternal expert that provided strength, safety, and support when I needed it most.» I want to now focus on the benefits of the doula for the supporting partner.
Confidence and perspective: Labor is like a marathon where they don’t disclose the finish line. My wife wanted a low intervention birth and the best way to have that is to labor as much as possible at home. But as the labor progressed and my wife was in more and more pain, my wife and my instincts were to get to the hospital, because we had no idea how close we were to that finish line. I was unprepared for how hard it would be to watch my wife labor in pain. I wanted to «fix it» but of course couldn’t. Because they have attended hundreds of births, Dos Doulas gave us the confidence (and encouragement) to stay at home by giving us the perspective of where we were in the labor. My wife and I needed this. Over and over. And it is the reason my wife ultimately had the birth experience she wanted because she was in active labor by the time she got to the hospital.
Rounding out the team: I was a little hesitant about working with a doula because I thought it might shrink my support role. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Sarah was so intuitive about where she could be helpful. She took my wife and my lead and filled in the gaps. It was like Sarah was always there when you needed her and never when you didn’t — she knew exactly what we needed (usually before we did). With Dos Doulas, it was so easy and felt like we were building a support team around my wife.
It’s the little things: there were countless little things Sarah did that enabled me to better support my wife. One — I was timing my wife’s contractions, which were not finding a consistent pattern. My wife really enjoyed laboring in the shower and wanted me with her. I was able to support her in the shower because Sarah took over timing the contractions. Two — After not eating for 10 hours (and knowing we had another 10 to go) Sarah was able to be with my wife while I scarfed down some food in the next room. I wouldn’t have left my wife’s side otherwise, and then I wouldn’t have been able to fully support her through labor and beyond without nourishing myself. Three — Sarah suggested the pushing position that ultimately allowed my wife to push the baby out in just a few contractions. It was like magic. Four — Some things are better received by the laboring woman if said by the doula. «Let’s drink a little more Gatorade» and «Let’s try this different position» are two examples. Five — I found myself constantly checking in with Sarah and asking «Is this normal?» Labor is a strange and magical and scary and beautiful thing. Nothing seems normal about it while you are going through it because it is all so new and high stakes. Having an expert on your support team allowed me to be fully present with my wife and my wife to be fully present with her labor. The list of «little things» Sarah provided could be REALLY long.
I feel like the above doesn’t even capture my gratitude to Dos Doulas and my feelings about the role of doula’s in pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. I would highly encourage anyone to reach out to Dos Doulas and see how they can round out your support team.