“Having a doula is like having a warm blanket on a cold night,” says Helen Herzig, birth doula of nine years. In today’s episode of The Momologist™, Helen discusses the differences between a doula and a midwife and answers the most common questions she receives from expecting parents.

Helen explains that a doula supports the expecting mom and the family, but is not a medically trained professional. Doulas work in tandem with midwives during the birthing process and help to make the experience more comfortable. Helen says that a doula will work with any style of birth, not just natural births, and should be flexible with any changes made to the plan along the way. A doula is there to support the mother throughout the entire process, from prenatal through delivery, and some doulas even assist with postpartum care. 

Tune into this week’s episode of The Momologist™ for a conversation about what a doula is and how to choose the right doula for you and your family. If you have ever been curious about becoming a doula or wondered if you should have a doula for your pregnancy, don’t miss out on this episode!

 

Quotes

• “A doula comforts, she doesn’t catch. We’re there for the emotional support of the family, we’re there for the educational support, the physical support and the midwife is a medically trained professional who is going to be the one who is going to catch your baby. So, we will not try to do that. But we’re there for your head, heart and hands in the emotional support.” (05:42-06:07)

• “People say, ‘Ask your doula what her philosophy is.’ And I really don’t like that question because to me it’s not important what I want. I always ask the family what sort of birth do you want? Do you want a natural birth? Do you want an epidural birth? What is your plan? What is your goal for this birth? If things change along the way, maybe your family says I really want to have a natural birth but at some point they decide they want to have pain management, there should be no issue from the doula. We are there as Switzerland.” (14:41-15:14) 

• “If you feel like you could be stuck in an elevator with this person that you’re interviewing as a doula, if you feel like you could be with her for 24 hours in a small confined space, which basically would be laboring time, then that’s your doula.” (18:31-18:45)

• “[Doulas] don’t advocate for you. We help you find your own voice.” (18:56-19:00)

• “My drive is I love my families. I love connecting with the moms. People always say, ‘Oh you must love babies, that’s why you do this.’ And I love babies, but I love the process of seeing a woman in her early pregnancy morph into this amazing birthing person and then meeting her baby afterwards. So, just that transformation from…maiden to mother: for me, seeing that transformation is amazing.” (29:20-29:52)

• “Having a doula is like having a warm blanket on a cold night. So, we don’t take away the cold, but we give you that layer of ‘okay, I can do this.’” (31:32-31:42)

 

Notable links:

Aussie Doula Website: https://www.aussiedoula.com/ 

 

Connect with Helen Herzig:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/aussiedoula/ 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/aussiedoulanc 

 

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The Momologist™ is a production of The Reel Media Group. 

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