Jimenez explains how an exercise ball can help Joanne Thomas get into a comfortable position for childbirth. Thomas, 28, is expecting a girl.
Rachel Jimenez, a doula, uses a rebozo shawl to shift the expectant mother’s belly, relax muscles in the abdomen and sometimes help the baby rotate into position.
Rachel Jimenez, right, demonstrates how to use a rebozo on client Joanne Thomas, a first-time mother.DOULA DUTIESPrenatal: Meets with parents and their doctor to work out a birth plan. Answers questions throughout a woman’s pregnancy.Labor: On call for about two weeks leading up to the birth. Arrives as soon as a woman goes into labor; stays until an hour or so after the birth.Postpartum: Assists with breastfeeding and recovery from labor. Some make house visits to help cook, clean and care for a new baby and older kids.Price: $400-$700, depending on the doula. Many offer fees on a sliding scale. Newer doulas sometimes work for no cost to gain experience.Where to find oneNurtured Birth Services: www.nurturedbirthservices.comBirth Chattanooga: www.birthchattanooga.comJourney Midwifery: www.journeymidwifery.com
The call might come in the middle of the night, but Rachel Jimenez will be ready. Her bag is packed and ready to go. Her family knows that she might be gone for a few hours, or it might be a couple of days. Jimenez is a doula (pronounced DOO-la) and her job is to help women have babies. Since she started working as a doula 5 1/2 years ago, she has attended more than 100 births. Different from a midwife, a doula provides emotional and physical support for a woman before, during and after labor. She can help with both hospital and at-home births. A doula does not provide formal medical care or advice; they don’t take blood pressure or dispense medication. But doulas know birth intimately. Though it’s not required, most doulas go through a rigorous certification process that includes lots of reading, an exam and hands-on experience. Many doulas, like Jimenez, apprentice with a midwife to gain experience. Some people looking to become midwives start out as doulas.
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The concept of a doula – Greek for “female servant” – is not a new one.
“Women have always helped other women during birth,” says Jimenez. “But as birth became more medicalized, women became distanced from their birth experience. Birth was done to them. For many women, the first birth they see is their own – unless they’ve looked it up on YouTube.”