Doula Care
With Beth Arcese, Labor Support Doula

My Philosophy, Clientele, Education, Personal Birth Experience

As a labor support doula, I provide comfort, knowledge, and a belief in a mother’s ability to birth her baby. My goal as a doula is to support the families I care for in experiencing their birth as an empowering, life-changing event that belongs to them. No one knows what each labor and birth will be like. However, it is universal for birth to be a transformative event in a woman’s life, as well as her partner’s and their children’s. Giving birth is both a physiological and psychological experience. When a woman’s physical and emotional needs are respected and nurtured during her labor, she is better able to trust herself. When a mother trusts her instincts, she can flow with her body, which affects not only her birth process, but also her mothering.

My experiences as a doula, childbirth educator, and mother have reinforced my belief in women’s innate ability to give birth. My role as a doula is to facilitate a woman’s discovery of her own capability, support her partner in his or her role, and quietly allow the family to experience their sacred space during their miracle. I come to a birth with knowledge and experience that can help guide and assist a family. Each family will have individual needs; some of these will be discussed prior to the birth and others can be discovered by tuning into the changing needs of the family during their unique birth experience.

Prior to becoming a doula, I received a BA at WWU and worked for a number of years with my husband, helping to run his sea kayak tour company. I was trained as a childbirth educator and a labor support doula at Seattle Midwifery School in 2003. I continued my training, and then my early teaching experience through Great Starts Birth and Family Education in Seattle. I am excited to be teaching in Bellingham, and to be able to support families planning to give birth at home or at the Bellingham Birth Center. I have been fortunate to attend several births as a doula and, even more so, to have my own family.

 Because I believe so strongly in the benefits of natural birth and know from experience and my studies that this can best be achieved under the care of a midwife outside the hospital, I feel I am best suited to support families in this environment. I am a midwifery student and have now begun the apprenticeship portion of my training. I am currently making my labor support services available only to those families planning to give birth with a midwife at the Bellingham Birth Center or at home. I will stand beside you on whatever journey your pregnancy/birth takes you (transfer to hospital, physician care, etc.) I am also passionate about supporting women through Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) and am open to supporting you in your hospital birth.

 My own birth experiences have taken me on a journey I couldn’t have anticipated. My initial approach to giving birth was typical for a modern American woman. I’d heard horror stories about birth since girlhood and was pretty convinced that I, believing I had a low threshold for pain, would probably need some help from medication. I also thought that in order to protect my infant from harm I would give birth in the hospital. As I became more educated, partly through my training and exposure to the midwifery model of care, and partly through my own research into the safety and benefits of out-of-hospital birth, I began to transform my vision of my own path to birth.

 By the time I was pregnant with my first, my husband & I had settled on a home birth. My first son was a surprise breech (discovered at 40 weeks), and we went to Island Hospital in Anacortes, WA, to try to turn the baby, and then have a c-section the next day. I was pregnant again 5 months later and was hard pressed to find anyone willing to care for me during a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I had to leave town to find a doctor who would care for me (and she graciously allowed me to receive half my prenatal care with a local licensed midwife). While I wasn’t allowed to give birth in the water at the hospital, I was able to bring a rented birth tub, where I labored until I was ready to push. I was able to experience a natural birth in the hospital, where we welcomed our second son. Then, we surprised ourselves by deciding to have a third baby. After a thorough review of the scientific research on VBAC, we decided to have her at home, where we had a wonderful, peaceful water birth.

 Having been through these three very different birth experiences gives me insight into the myriad ways a baby can be welcomed into our lives. As your doula, you can count on me to support you in your decisions without judgment. My job is to support you on your personal journey, with the intention of helping you experience a peaceful labor and birth during which you feel respected, listened to, and loved.

 Having my VBACs were big events in my life. It has impacted my physical experience as well as my emotional self. I am very motivated to provide labor support to families wishing to have a VBAC. I will come to your birth with all confidence in your ability to give birth naturally. However, we know that things don’t always work out as we dream them to and it’s always possible a repeat cesarean birth may be necessary. If that’s the way your birth works out, I will help you cope with that process in a way that helps you focus on the beauty of your birth experience while also giving you the space and support to express any grief if it doesn’t go how you’d hoped.

Services I Provide
Prenatal Services

·      I provide a free interview/consultation – about thirty minutes long – during which we can get to know each other and you can decide if I am the doula for you.

·      After deciding to work together, we will meet twice more for approximately one hour each time. These meetings allow us to tend to your prenatal concerns, map out a birth plan if you wish to have my help, and discuss the needs you anticipate having during your labor.

·      I am available for questions by phone or e-mail for the duration of your pregnancy. Because I have young children, it can be difficult to have lengthy phone conversations, but I am available for spur of the moment questions or concerns or for planned “phone dates.” I also check e-mail daily, so that is a great way to reach me any time.

 Labor Support

·      I am available for phone support during pre- and early labor. Once you are in active labor and are ready for my help, I will come to your home or meet you at the birth center or hospital. If you are planning a hospital birth, one of the ways I can assist you is to help decide when it is best to go to the hospital and help you cope with your labor at home until we go.

·      I provide physical support to laboring moms and their partners. Examples are: massage, compresses (cold or hot), supporting labor positions, bringing food and water to mom and partner, arranging things to support mom & partner’s physical needs, like pillows under the knees, towels for getting out of the tub, etc.

·      Emotional support in the form of encouragement, explaining processes, talking to family members or nurses about your wishes (for a quiet space, for example).

·      Information. One of the key reasons a doula can be helpful where a girlfriend or family member might not be is our experience and education around birth. I can help you sort through information about possible interventions, hospital transfer, and getting information you need from your care provider so you can give informed consent before taking medications or having a procedure or surgery.

·      I can help your partner help you. Dads sometimes wonder: why do we need a doula? Will a doula take my job away? A birth experience is a significant bonding event for the couple and their baby. One of the most important parts of my job is to help dad help mom. I can make suggestions for how to physically support mom in a laboring position, where to press on her back to help relieve back pain, how to communicate with mom to increase bonding and reduce stress (for example, save questions for in between contractions). My job is not to replace the birth partner, but to help enhance his experience and  his ability to support his partner through the labor and birth of his child.

·      A calm, reassuring presence. I believe in women’s ability to give birth. I trust in the skill and professional care your midwife can provide for you. And I won’t be watching the clock; I know birth takes time and is most rewarding when all present can forget about the clock and let your miracle unfold by nature’s watch alone.

·      Sometimes we wish to have a mom or sister or friend present when we give birth, but if she brings a fear of birthing outside of the hospital with her, this can transfer to the mother unconsciously. I can help you by being a liaison who helps you achieve your wishes in regard to your family and friends.

·      I have also given birth in the hospital and have found ways to make it our own birth as much as possible given the different circumstances of each birth. I am your advocate; my role is to ensure that you are being heard, to listen and care for you in the ways that work for you. I will believe in you, your baby, your partner, and the choices you make on your own personal journey.

·      I can take photos and/or video of your birth experience, freeing dad up to enjoy the special moments as they occur.

·      I have lots of experience as a child care worker and as a mother and I am supportive of siblings at birth. I am open to helping children understand what’s going on, doing special things with them (like bake a birthday cake), and helping them go to sleep. However, I encourage you to have a person whose sole job is to care for your older child(ren) during your labor. We can’t anticipate just how a child will respond and the child may need to leave if it is not working for him to be with mom at this time. Also, if I am caring for children, I won’t be free to give mom the support she may need.

·      I will stay up to two hours after you give birth, depending on your wishes. During this time I am available to help clean up if you are at home, get food to mom and partner, make phone calls, and help in any way I can to ensure that you are comfortable and your needs have been met before you’re on your own with your new baby.

 Postpartum Meeting

·    I will check in with you by phone within the first three days after your birth. We will plan a postpartum meeting for a time that works best for you (usually within the first 1-3 weeks). This is a time for you to talk about your birth experience, ask questions to fill in any gaps of missing memory, and share your early parenting experiences with me. I am there as an open listener; I will not judge you for any of your thoughts or try to tell you how you should feel. This is a great way for parents to enhance their experience of processing the birth.

·   I will provide you with a written memoir of your labor and birth from my perspective. This 1-2 page keepsake will be a rewarding recounting of your birth, from the perspective of your birth helper, that can be a valuable addition to your memory of bringing your baby into the world.  

 Limitations

·      A doula is trained to care for a family’s need for emotional support, information, and physical comfort during labor and birth. A doula is not able to provide any kind of actual medical care. I don’t check dilation, listen to fetal heart tones, or otherwise care for the physical health of mom and baby.

I will provide a back-up doula in case I have a family  emergency or a sickness that I could expose a new mom and newborn baby to. If you prefer, you can arrange for your own back-up. If I arrange your back-up, you can meet with her before your due date if you wish.

·      It will take me up to an hour and a half to arrive once I have been called to meet you. You can help reduce this time by keeping me posted on your labor as it begins. Sometimes women will go in and out of prelabor for days. You can just keep checking in and letting me know how things are going; this will also give me a chance to help you cope with any impatience you may be having or questions about what to do next.

 Fee for Services

The fee for my labor support services as outlined above is $500. I ask for a deposit of $100 at the time you ask me to be your doula. I will be on call 24 hours a day from three weeks before until two weeks after your due date. This doesn’t mean I won’t be available if your birth should fall outside this average “due month,” but it may increase the likelihood of your having my back-up doula at your birth. If you should have a back-up doula instead of me at your birth, the remainder of the fee would go to her. She would call you after the baby was born and have the postpartum visit with you. The remaining $400 is due at your first postpartum visit. I am open to a sliding scale for those who wish to have, but cannot afford, a doula. I am also open to trades, so feel free to consider what you may be able to trade for my services. It never hurts to ask!