067. Why We Hired a Doula: A Dad’s Perspective with Chris & Lori Beth Auldridge

Are you thinking about hiring a doula but aren’t 100% sure it’s the right choice for you? How does your partner feel about having a doula?  Are they on the fence? Aren’t sure it’s necessary? It’s a big decision. Everything surrounding babies and birth can feel like a big decision. That’s why my husband Chris is with me today to help you on your quest to gather more information, stories, and resources to find out if hiring a doula is right for you. This episode is 2 parents who had 3 babies with 3 doulas sitting down together and casually talking about how our 3 different doulas all helped us before, during, and after the births of our children and why we absolutely recommend bringing a doula into your birth team. This show doesn’t contain medical advice, just parts of our 3 birth stories in the hope it helps you and your husband or partner by shining a light on how our doulas served BOTH of us during the pregnancy, birth, and newborn seasons of parenting. What is a Doula? I’ll start by telling you what they are not: they are not doctors, midwives, or lawyers. What they are: kind, compassionate, steady birth support Our Bio: Chris & Lori Beth have been together for 10 years, married for 7.5, with 3 kids together. We own a family renovation business, homeschool our kids, and live on a small farm on the island of Maui. We’re both BIG fans of doulas. We were able to see in hindsight (and in the moment!) just how pivotal their presence was at each of our births.  This episode is also a shout out to my 3 doulas—Jill, Kristina, and Kiana!—who helped me not only educate myself (soooooo much!) but also supported me during my labors and helped me process my birth stories after. Mamas, this is a good one to share with your birthing partner if they need more information. I think you’ll both appreciate Chris’s directness, examples, and stories. Sometimes it just helps to hear the dad’s perspective from someone else. We both hope it helps. In This Episode, We Talk About: · How our doulas provided physical, emotional, and informational support during my pregnancies, hospital births, and postpartum · How our doulas acted as buffers between the two of us as parents · How our doulas acted as buffers between me and the hospital staff · Evidence based birth says that a 2012 study showed that only 6% of birthing women used doulas (here’s hoping that number has increased over the years!) · The incredible steady support they offered during labor and delivery · How they helped me process my birth story after · Common hang-ups people have about hiring doulas and our personal responses to those · Why we believe doulas are key birth workers & should be more common Online Doula Resources: · www.evidencebasedbith.com · www.pacificbirthcollective.org · www.dona.org Please Visit Today’s Sponsors: Ojai Energetics & MUTU System Elevating Motherhood Links: Website: www.elevatingmotherhood.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/loribethauldridge