When to Hire a Doula?

I'm often asked when is the best time to hire a doula. The truth is, it's never too late - I have been hired as late as 39 weeks to support a family birthing in Keller! Some doulas have gotten phone calls from women in labor that are looking for support right then! I have also been hired as early as "hey! I'm pregnant! I'd love you to be my doula!".

The earlier you hire me as your birth doula the more you get out of my services. I'm available to you for longer as a resource for providers and evidence based research.

Why would I hire early?

I just recently got a call from a past client letting me know they're expecting again! After I let them know how excited I am for them and they told me they needed me on their birth team again (Yay! It's always such a great honor to be asked back for future births!) we started chatting about their birth plans. They had a great birth in Flower Mound for their first child but they are looking for a different experience this time. We chatted about birth centers in Denton, Argyle, Keller, Allen and Plano. They haven't decided where they want to birth, or if maybe home birth is what's best for them but because they hired me early and I'm available to them I can provide more resources! I have compiled a list for them of all the best midwives and doctors in their area so they can have all the information to find the best birth team for their dream birth!

The longer I know you, the better I know you! I generally chat with clients over the phone or in texts at least as often as they are seeing their care provider, often more than that! I love getting to know my clients well and the stronger our relationship is the better support I am able to offer to you when you're in labor! We call this Relational Support in doula-world and I think it is one of the most important parts of our job!

Limited Availability

Each month I only take on one or two clients. My calendar usually fills up quickly! If I am unavailable to be your birth doula I'm always happy to pass along the names of other amazing doulas I personally know and recommend in the Dallas, Fort Worth area that have availability for your due date. Booking early can help you to get your birth team settled and start building that relationship with your doula that makes the experience so positive.

I know personally I ran into this with one of my births before I was a doula. I was on the hunt for a doula and I quickly learned that there are so many great options out there. I talked to my husband and we figured out what we were looking for and what our budget was. From there I contacted at least 8 doulas before I found one that had availability for my due date! That's great that so many families in the DFW Metroplex are using doulas for their births but as a consumer it sure was an extra challenge.

When are you normally hired? What's that process like?

Obviously not everyone hires me right after they learn they're pregnant and I'm rarely hired in the final month. The average time that I meet expecting mothers for a consultation is around the 20 week mark. When an expecting mother reaches out and says that she'd like to talk to me about doula services I do my best to meet with her that week! We can do either a phone consultation or an in person interview! Some people like to chat on the phone first then set up a meeting in person and that's just fine too!
I generally meet about half way between you and me for our initial conversation. Sometimes I need that meeting to be in Denton if that's all that my schedule allows or if I have a client I anticipate going into labor soon in the area. Other times I'm meeting clients or providers in your area so I can come to your town, it all depends! I have met families for doula consultations in McKinney, Allen, Keller, Frisco, Denton, Sanger, Decatur and Fort Worth. I'm sure there are other cities that I'm forgetting, but chances are we can find a place to meet!

Where do you meet for Consultations/Interviews?

Starbucks is undoubtedly my favorite meeting location, it's easy and they're everywhere! I'm also a little addicted to coffee! I also meet families that are bringing older children along to the consultation at Chick Fil A's or other kid friendly places so they're more comfortable. I'm very flexible and open to suggestions. Since Denton is my stomping grounds I love to meet in local coffee shops or cafe's, as I learn new cities and their unique local businesses I try to use those places too!

Consultations are always free and last about 45 minutes to an hour! You can reach out to me here to set one up! I would love to meet you and chat about how I can be a doula for your upcoming birth and help it to be an empowering experience!

Rebekah Lewis is a birth doula, placenta encapsulation specialist and postpartum belly binding specialist serving families in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. She makes her home outside of Denton, Texas with her husband and two daughters. She serves the greater North Central Texas area including all of Denton County, North Tarrant County, Gainesville, Decatur, McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano and surrounding areas.

TENS unit for Labor

I currently include the TENS unit in the price of all of my doula packages. After training to use the TENS with my clients I realized how wonderful this tool was and how helpful it is in birth! I couldn't imagine not using every tool I have at my disposal to help my clients achieve the birth that they desire. It seemed silly to me to deny a client this option just because they didn't know how helpful it would be and they didn't rent it or choose a package that included it before labor. 

I am excited to offer TENS unit rentals for doula clients! This is a non-pharmaceutical option to help bring pain relief in labor! 

What is a TENS? 

TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It is a hand-held devise that connects via wires to 4 special stickers/pads attached to the laboring woman's back. The electrical pulses go just below the skin to stimulate the nerves. 

How does the TENS create pain relief? 

The TENS unit provides pain relief in two ways. The consistent nerve stimulation creates an increase in endorphins and that helps to reduce your perception of pain. It also works through what we call Gate Control - the nerve fibers in your body that carry pain receptors are smaller and slower "highways to the brain" than those that carry the touch receptors that the TENS unit stimulates. It is kind of like touching a hot stove, you knew you touched it because you felt your hand touch a hard object. You knew intellectually that it was hot and you should react and you have lifted your hand off before your brain has registered that it hurts. With the TENS unit, your brain recognizes the contractions but is previously occupied with the stimulation the TENS unit is providing and it reduces your perception of the intensity of the contraction. 

I have a TENS unit that my chiropractor gave me, can I just use this instead? 

No, probably not. TENS are not made the same. Some stimulate the muscles rather than the nerves. Not all of them are set up to change settings like you need to in labor to meet the demands your body needs with the contractions. The TENS unit I exclusively use with doula clients is imported from the U.K. where TENS units are commonplace in hospitals as an alternative to epidurals (they don't use epidurals routinely) and the mother is able to control the intensity for upper back from lower back, left and right so it is exactly what she needs at that moment! These units also have different settings to change the pattern of the stimulation pulses. With other TENS units it's recommended that you turn them off and on to create a similar effect... what a hassle! 

Benefits of using a TENS unit

• You maintain your mobility, you aren't attached to the bed to use it! It can be used in any location (not water, it is electric) so it's a great option for laboring at home, birth center or hospital birth! 
• It does not have side effects! Just about every other thing that you might receive for pain relief has a side effect of some form (even seemingly benign things like a bag of IV fluids!) so this is a great low-risk option! 
• You can take it off or put it on at any point in labor. It's a no obligation option! Research does show that it is most effective when used in early labor and then throughout but it's beneficial regardless. Unlike any intravenous drugs or epidural, there is a wearing off period where you have to wait for the drugs to leave your system. This isn't the case with the TENS. When you take it off, it's done. 
• In a study regarding the use of a TENS in labor, the majority of women who used one in labor said they would do it again in a future labor! 
• It can be effective for back labor! This is a big deal considering even epidurals are not always and effective pain relief option for back labor! 

What else should I know?

• You should not use a TENS unit before 37 weeks of pregnancy (unless you're already in active labor).
• It can't be used in the water, so if you're planning a water birth it has to come off before you go into the tub. It is still fine to use it when you aren't in the water! 
• It doesn't completely take away labor pains, this is just something to help - another coping tool. Some women report that they didn't realize how much it was helping until they took it off, so they asked to have it back! 
• You cannot use it if you have epilepsy or a seizure disorder. You cannot use it if you have very high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia. 
• You cannot use it if you have a heart arrhythmia or a pacemaker

I teach all my clients the ins and outs of the TENS unit at one of our prenatal visits so you aren't learning the device when you are in labor. Let me know if you have any questions! 

Rebekah Lewis provides birth doula services and postpartum belly binding in the North Texas area including Denton, Decatur, Gainesville, Krum, Aubrey, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Coppell, Highland Village, North Fort Worth, Keller, McKinney, and surrounding areas.

FREE Bump Day in Hurst, Texas for Pregnant Families

If you're a new mother or pregnant and local to Grapevine or Hurst you will want to mark your calendar for the upcoming Bump Day being hosted by Back in Motion Family Chiropractic! 

This event is FREE to anyone. There will be freebies, raffles and prizes! 

I will be there and happy to chat about Birth Doula services and Postpartum Belly Binding. Callie will be there representing Birth Boot Camp Childbirth Education - my favorite birth classes because they are the best! Birth Boot Camp was voted the BEST childbirth education in Fort Worth for 2016!

You can learn more on their website and if you're on Facebook this is a link to the event page! 

Hope to see you there!