On Friday, I took my first of the “other” kind of swim class. Instead of paddling around in deep water wearing floaties, we had more of a water aerobics experience, standing in a 3-foot-deep warm-water pool.
It started out innocently enough, with some crouching and squatting type activities, swinging our arms back and forth, just below the surface.
No problem.
The question for the class was “Have you hired a doula?”
Nearly everyone had. This is the Berkeley YMCA after all.
The mom to my right, who moved here recently from Israel, asked me sotto voce why people hire doulas. I explained the concept of having a birth coach to help with the labor, the statistics on a doula’s presence being linked to shorter labor and lower incidence of c-sections; the doula’s role as a consistent presence, unlike nurses who are subject to shift changes and the needs of other patients or the doctor who checks in periodically, maybe, and only really shows up at the end; the idea that a doula who has witnessed over 500 births (like the one we hired has) would be able to reassure us, keep us calm.
She said, “Aren’t the nurses supposed to do all that?”
Hello, doubt.
“Well, yes. I guess.”
Oh well. We’ve already sent in our deposit. I’m nothing if not a fan of hiring a team anyway. Doctor, check. Nurses, check. Doula, check.
And then, we started moving. Jogging, skipping, and a stiff-legged maneuver reminiscent of cross-country skiing. And just when it started to get a little easier because we’d gotten a current going, she’d have us change directions. The group moved in two circles, one inside the other. We looked like a Busby Berkeley film, but less glamorous, or graceful, or intricate. I think at one point I actually felt like I might be developing shin splints.
I mentioned to the teacher that this was really challenging for me. She laughed. “What week are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“It’s usually around 20 weeks that people start saying, ‘Wow, this is hard!'”
For the grand finale, we each grabbed two “noodles” — long slender cylinders of Styrofoam. One noodle goes under your knees, and the other, roughly behind your neck and shoulders, arms wrapped over from underneath, or under from over, so that between the two, you are somewhat cradled, and floating. I couldn’t figure out how to do this without getting my head wet (ewww, chlorine) or my ears full of water, so I gave up; desire for relaxation trumping concerns about damaging my hair or fear of ear problems.
The teacher dimmed the lights, put on a Native American flute CD. We all closed our eyes and quietly, gently floated.
Occasionally I peeked. All I could see was a sea of turquoise and green noodle tips poking out of the water, turning in slow, lazy arcs, like modern art water lilies.
Ten minutes later, the lights came on, the noodles were put back in their big can, and we all ran shivering to the showers.
THe consistency issue is huge. As I told you by phone, some of the nurses are “travelers” – i.e. temps, visiting from Texas or rural Illinois or someplace. I had one who didn’t know how to adjust the bed for kneeling labor (which the birth class lady had promised us we could do). Another one sat next to the computer monitor with her clipboard on her lap whenever she was in my room, hardly touched me. They had no freaking clue about how to be new-style labor nurses. They were into watching the monitors and checking dilation, blood pressure, oxygenation, etc. The doula was more of a human being.
At one point the head nurse stepped in, and *she* knew what to do. She put her hands on me and reassured me. That meant more than anything let me tell you. (She also showed the traveling nurse how to adjust the bed)
My doula, however, was a little intimidated by all the high tech stuff they were doing to me because of the complications (first baby) and I don’t know if a more experienced one could have been more helpful. Maybe.
In the case of baby #2, I had a midwife/RN instead of an OB. A doula seemed unnecessary. She would have been lots of help in the style of a doula had I needed her; however after I’d been in the labor room two hours, she walked in (4:30 a.m.), checked me, and announced that I was ready to push. Wha’?
In Israel they can probably afford to have more consistent nursing – socialized medicine. Frankly, the nursing care I got at Summit Hospital (Oakland) with baby #2 was alot more experienced, consistent and focused than what I got at Alta Bates with Baby #1. AB is very, very busy. Summit was not slammed the same way, so they had no temps, much less turnover, and RNs for everybody, not aides and janitors. Unfortunately, the corp. that owns Alta Bates bought up Summit a few years ago and consolidated the labor rooms – to make more $$. It costs too much to run a labor ward for the comfort of the mothers.
Sorry for the negative comment. My point is, keep the doula, you’ll be happy you had her especially if things are long and/or complicated.