TL/DR: Hiring your doula in early pregnancy can help you feel at ease the entirety of your pregnancy, not just at your birth.
Doulas are defined by DONA (Doulas Of North America) as:
“a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to their client before, during and shortly after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.”
Although doulas are often associated primarily with childbirth, their support can be equally vital throughout the pregnancy, starting as early as the first trimester. When I got pregnant with my first baby, I hired my doula group at the tail end of my first trimester, and I’m so glad I did because I felt informed, supported and confident for the duration of my pregnancy as well as my birth. Of course, it’s never too late to hire a doula, but I wanted to share why hiring a doula in your first trimester of pregnancy can be beneficial for laying a strong foundation of support and guidance right from the start.
6 Reasons to partner with a doula from the beginning of your pregnancy journey
#1. Early bonding and comfort:
Hiring your doula early is a great way to establish a strong and trusting relationship. Even though doulas are highly professional and can create warmth and trust with very few meetings prior to birth– creating a long term relationship with your doula will help you and your partner feel even more comfortable, supported and empowered. Doulas provide so much emotional & psychological support and come with so much knowledge, that it can be a real peace of mind for new moms as they navigate the ups and downs of pregnancy.
My doulas offered monthly meetings for pregnant moms and their partners– which turned out to be so therapeutic and helpful in the months leading up to birth (it’s also where I met some of my very best friends as a mom). I’m so grateful I hired my doulas early, because I got to benefit from these monthly gatherings rather than just getting bits and pieces of insight from attending one or two of them. These meetings were very special and it helped me to get to know my doulas really well, and it helped them to understand me in a deeper way– which I think was a major benefit when it came to my birth.
Hiring your doula in your first trimester of pregnancy will allow you more time to bond with your doula, ask more questions, and ultimately feel ready for birth when the time comes.
#2. Comprehensive prenatal education & planning
Having a doula on-hand in your early months of pregnancy allows more time for your doula to provide educational support that is completely tailored to your needs and birth wishes. So many doulas are well versed in topics such as nutrition (ie: ideas for easing morning sickness), hospital systems, unmedicated births, baby gear (aka, helping you know what to actually register for and what to skip). Your doula will learn your needs early on and will be able to help you navigate so much more than just your birth.
Because your relationship will be built over time, your opportunities for prenatal & childbirth education as well as birth planning will be able to span over the course of the months of pregnancy, and won’t have to be truncated into a weekend long meeting. This will allow you and your partner to have deep, thoughtful conversations with your doula to help you consider every aspect of your pregnancy, birth and postpartum plan.
#3. Navigating early pregnancy symptoms
One benefit of hiring a doula at any stage of pregnancy is the ability to ask questions. Questions that you might not want to reach out to your OB or midwife about, but questions that you need a more personalized answer than what you’re finding on Google. From my own experience, I definitely had more questions in my first few months of pregnancy compared to the rest of it. Having a doula I could text my questions or concerns to was so helpful. Especially as a first time mom, there are so many changes and so much newness that comes with being pregnant, that hiring a doula early on can ease anxieties and some of the fears that come with pregnancy.
Most of the time doulas are well connected to other helpful providers to help you manage any physical or emotional symptoms of pregnancy. When you hire a doula early on, your doula will get to know you and your needs and will be able to better match you with providers who can help.
#4 Better communication with healthcare providers
If your doula has been working in your area for any significant amount of time, chances are they’ve worked with a lot of OB’s, L&D nurses and midwives, in a lot of different settings. The benefit of working with your doula in early pregnancy is being privy to their prior knowledge and experience. This can help you feel confident with your provider, more informed about the hospital and its policies, as well as empowered to make the best decisions possible for your birth and your baby.
When it comes to navigating the healthcare system, having a doula with you from the first trimester is great for:
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Helping you ask better questions in your prenatal visits
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Accompanying you to appointments *(check with your specific doula to see if this is something they offer)
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Clarifying medical jargon after a meeting with your provider
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Ensuring you know how to advocate for your preferences and needs
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Knowing helpful insights like best parking or food at certain hospitals
#5. Support for family dynamics and involvement
Pregnancy can be a major source of joy for some and it can also be extremely stressful. Sometimes navigating in-laws, moms, sisters, friends, coworkers etc. can be really hard to manage– especially with the onslaught of pregnancy hormones (if you need ideas on setting boundaries, check out this blog). Your doula can help you navigate through your own feelings as well as helping you think about the boundaries you and your partner want to set. It can also be helpful for your doula to understand your family dynamics early on in your pregnancy, to better help you during your birth.
Hiring your doula early will mean more chances of them being able to meet anyone else that may be involved in the birth. This can be beneficial in helping you manage expectations, verbalizing your needs, and talking through how and where you want these folks involved.
#6. Helping you and your partner navigate pregnancy
While you might be the one carrying the baby in your body, there is a whole lot that your partner needs to navigate throughout your pregnancy. Hiring a doula in the first trimester can help you and your partner find more opportunities to connect, better ways to communicate and help work through questions and concerns that either of you may have as your pregnancy progresses.
Building a long term relationship with your doula will also be really beneficial for your actual birth because your doula will have learned your needs, your partner’s temperament and how to help you both participate in the birth in a meaningful way.
Hiring your doula in your first trimester of pregnancy offers benefits that extend far beyond the delivery room.
From providing emotional support from the get-go, building a solid foundational relationship, and helping you navigate prenatal and birth education, a doula can be an invaluable partner for the duration of your pregnancy. Working with a doula early on ensures you have a knowledgeable and supportive guide every step of the way– helping to make your pregnancy and birth experience as smooth and as empowering as possible.
You can find your perfect doula and put them on your registry when you use BeHerVillage.com
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