Word: doulas
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Dates: during 2001-2001
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...time when the average prenatal visit with an obstetrician lasts six minutes, Guralnick's 1 1/2-hr. visit with the Suris feels like good value for the money. Doula fees vary greatly by geographic area. The range is approximately $300 to $1,000 for a labor doula, and postpartum specialists charge hourly rates of $15 to $35, though often with a 15-hr. minimum. As doula services are not yet covered by medical insurance, most doulas say their clientele tends to be affluent...
Individual doulas follow their own routines, and Guralnick includes two pre-natal visits with a couple to get acquainted and go over options. In a meeting in the Suris' apartment--Ash's first with the doula --Guralnick provides the couple with documents and reviews topics like pain medication and various interventions that can be used during labor and delivery. Debra sits on the massive 75-in. ball to get accustomed to how it feels. (Women in labor often find the ball more comfortable than a chair.) She guides them through massage techniques and positions that ease labor pain, demonstrating...
...thought you were here to do my job," says Ash with a laugh. His comment raises a pressing issue: If a doula is providing all this physical and emotional support for the woman, what's Dad supposed to do? While Ash is relieved that Guralnick will be there, many birth fathers feel a bit wary and even threatened by the news that their wives want special help from another nonmedical person. Good doulas make fathers feel more involved and more useful at a stressful time...
Despite the growth in demand for doulas, skepticism in the medical community is long-standing. Judith Halek began working as a doula more than 13 years ago, at a time when doulas were unfamiliar to most obstetrics professionals. "A ward nurse once asked me if I was part of a cult," recalls Halek. "I explained that I was there to provide support. We've come a long way, but we still have a long...
Opinions vary greatly, according to experience. Dr. David Axelrod, an ob-gyn in Alexandria, Va., recalls one doula who invited a father in just as Axelrod announced he needed to do a C-section. "That caused a little bit of a fuss," says Axelrod. "But basically a lot of my patients like their doulas, and they're becoming more popular...