Pamela Gammon Photography is beyond thrilled to know our Portsmouth Ohio area now has even more birth services for our mommies, babies, and families. Our area now has services from a Southern Ohio Doula! Yay!!
Our Certified Portsmouth Area Doula is Amy Patrick! Pamela Gammon Photography is super excited to work next to Amy and provide birth photography and fresh 48 photography services in the future. We caught up to her to ask her some questions for you momma’s.
Here is what she wants you to know:
She says that there is some misconception about what a doula actually does. What she hears most is that some people think a doula is similar to a midwife, or that one would only find a doula in a homebirth setting.
As a doula, she offers non-medical support–emotional, physical, and informational support. She also supports all births–hospital, water births, VBACs, C-sections (planned or not), inductions, women who choose epidurals. She is supportive of both home births and birth centers with a midwife. She is very open to the client’s wants and needs throughout.
Services
1) Free Consultation
2) In-home visit to discuss birth preferences, positions/comfort techniques, and breathing exercises
3) She, as a Southern Ohio Doula, will join her clients for labor and supports them. She offer assistance to mom by suggesting positions to help make them more comfortable, breathing exercises, offer encouraging words and emotional support, massage, and working with the spouse/partner and family on how they can help the mommy.
4.) If the client chooses an epidural, she can still support them emotionally.
5.) She has tips on things mommy can do to help encourage baby to move down.
6.) Also once baby is born she will stay with the client up to one hour to help mommy get settled in.
7.) She will provide a postpartum visit to offer mommies continued support
8.) She also offers phone/text/email support anytime during pregnancy and after
What doulas do not do:
1) Doula’s can not Perform any clinical tasks, prescribe medications or give medical advice
2) The doula does not take the place of the doctor, nurse, midwife, spouse/partner or family member
3) A doula does not speak on behalf of a client or make any decisions for a client .
4) The doula also does not have a shift change, abruptly leaving clients in labor.
When To Hire a Doula: Most women hire doulas late in their 2nd trimester, but Amy will take clients at any time as long as she has availability. Booking as soon as possible would be beneficial, as she strives to provide very personal services to be as available as possible for her clients.
Why should someone consider hiring a doula? There is evidence that by having continuous support women were more likely to: have spontaneous vaginal births, less likely to need pain medication/epidural requests, less likely to need a vacuum or forceps assisted delivery, less likely to have a C-section, less likely to have negative feelings about childbirth, less likely for baby to have low APGAR score. Many people believe it is not just the potential for more physically healthier babies and mommies, but also ensures an emotionally healthier mommy. This is important when heading into the postpartum period for both the mommies and babies.
Leave a Reply