Dads and Doulas: Working Together As A Team
"Asking your husband to be your sole guide through labor is like asking him to lead the way on a climb of Mt Everest. He may be smart and trustworthy, you may love him, but in the Himalayas you’d both be a lot better off with a Sherpa!”
~Pam England
Fathers Are In Charge of The Birth!
Doulas enhance the experience, support your spouse/partner in labor, so you can enjoy the birth of your little one
Many dads-to-be worry that a doula will replace them at the birth. A father may worry that his partner doesn’t trust him enough to be a support for her during labor. He may also be concerned that a doula’s presence at the birth will remove the intimacy of the moment.
Before the birth, it’s important that the doula, mother, and father all sit together and talk about how they envision the childbirth. It’s also important that the father participate in choosing and hiring the doula, since they should both feel comfortable with whomever they choose to attend this special moment in their lives.
The doula can never replace the father’s role, which is to be there to love and support his partner. Plus, he also experiences the birth of the child, in his own way. As far as the doula interfering with the intimacy of the moment, the doula is only one member of the birth team, which includes nurses, a doctor or midwife, and sometimes other specialists. In fact, a doula can often help create that intimate feel by helping shoo the nurses or doctors out of the room for a moment, so the about-to-be-new-parents can be alone for awhile.
Hear from out Fathers: Testimonials
Tomecas was a wonderful doula before, during, and after my wife's delivery. We were immediately drawn to her warm nature and honest assessment of the birth plan. She encouraged my wife to stick to her plan not to use drugs, supported her when she changed her mind mid-labor and decided to get an epidural, then helped her cope when the anesthesiologist was too late to give the epidural. She and my wife worked on exercises and poses that would relieve pressure and help deal with pain---movements that came into play during labor and undoubtedly helped my wife have a better experience. Overall, she was exactly what we were looking for in a doula.
~Matthew G.
When you see someone LIVING in their purpose, KNOW that you're looking @ God working and moving through that individual! THIS was our experience w/ our Doula, Mrs. Tomecas Thomas. It was our 1st child so we were already on edge (trying to play it cool). From Day ONE Tomecas exuded a spirit and feeling of one you've known and loved your ENTIRE LIFE. We never felt like a strangers w/ her. So before class #1, we were at ease. This alone was worth her services. Her knowledge of child birthing, both business and personal, accounted for SO much! Mrs. Thomas loaded us w/ so much knowldege that, many times, when a Dr began to talk about something, we found ourselves saying "Yeah, Tomecas told us about that". As the Father, I never felt out of place or pushed asside. Moving forward I don't think I could even entertain that idea of NOT requesting Tomecas' Doula services for our next child, and the next one and the next one. Tomecas we thank you and we love you for helping bring us our BEAUTIFUL baby girl and pray that God blesses you with long luxurious life for assisting in His process.
~David C. Muhammad
Thankfully, with Tomecas' years of experience as a nurse prior to becoming a doula, she told us what we needed to do to prepare for a natural birth, and as a result, my wife delivered naturally just four hours after the first contraction. She did not try to take over the process, but helped guide us to a smooth natural birth. She helped my wife through her contractions and was able to tell when she was ready to start pushing. I would not have known what to do during the labor process had she not been present, and we likely would have deferred to the nurses and doctors for the entire time which likely would have resulted in an epidural (which we were hoping to avoid) and possibly a c-section birth.I was skeptical about hiring a doula at first, but after meeting and working alongside Tomecas to deliver my first child,
I highly recommend her services.
~Aaron King
Before the birth, it’s important that the doula, mother, and father all sit together and talk about how they envision the childbirth. It’s also important that the father participate in choosing and hiring the doula, since they should both feel comfortable with whomever they choose to attend this special moment in their lives.
The doula can never replace the father’s role, which is to be there to love and support his partner. Plus, he also experiences the birth of the child, in his own way. As far as the doula interfering with the intimacy of the moment, the doula is only one member of the birth team, which includes nurses, a doctor or midwife, and sometimes other specialists. In fact, a doula can often help create that intimate feel by helping shoo the nurses or doctors out of the room for a moment, so the about-to-be-new-parents can be alone for awhile.
Hear from out Fathers: Testimonials
Tomecas was a wonderful doula before, during, and after my wife's delivery. We were immediately drawn to her warm nature and honest assessment of the birth plan. She encouraged my wife to stick to her plan not to use drugs, supported her when she changed her mind mid-labor and decided to get an epidural, then helped her cope when the anesthesiologist was too late to give the epidural. She and my wife worked on exercises and poses that would relieve pressure and help deal with pain---movements that came into play during labor and undoubtedly helped my wife have a better experience. Overall, she was exactly what we were looking for in a doula.
~Matthew G.
When you see someone LIVING in their purpose, KNOW that you're looking @ God working and moving through that individual! THIS was our experience w/ our Doula, Mrs. Tomecas Thomas. It was our 1st child so we were already on edge (trying to play it cool). From Day ONE Tomecas exuded a spirit and feeling of one you've known and loved your ENTIRE LIFE. We never felt like a strangers w/ her. So before class #1, we were at ease. This alone was worth her services. Her knowledge of child birthing, both business and personal, accounted for SO much! Mrs. Thomas loaded us w/ so much knowldege that, many times, when a Dr began to talk about something, we found ourselves saying "Yeah, Tomecas told us about that". As the Father, I never felt out of place or pushed asside. Moving forward I don't think I could even entertain that idea of NOT requesting Tomecas' Doula services for our next child, and the next one and the next one. Tomecas we thank you and we love you for helping bring us our BEAUTIFUL baby girl and pray that God blesses you with long luxurious life for assisting in His process.
~David C. Muhammad
Thankfully, with Tomecas' years of experience as a nurse prior to becoming a doula, she told us what we needed to do to prepare for a natural birth, and as a result, my wife delivered naturally just four hours after the first contraction. She did not try to take over the process, but helped guide us to a smooth natural birth. She helped my wife through her contractions and was able to tell when she was ready to start pushing. I would not have known what to do during the labor process had she not been present, and we likely would have deferred to the nurses and doctors for the entire time which likely would have resulted in an epidural (which we were hoping to avoid) and possibly a c-section birth.I was skeptical about hiring a doula at first, but after meeting and working alongside Tomecas to deliver my first child,
I highly recommend her services.
~Aaron King
