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Resources and research provided by Myriah C. Boudreaux
Baton Rouge birth options increasing
Your great-great grandmother may have had one, though she may not have formally called her a doula. Regardless of title, her doula may have been a family member who coached her through her childbirth at home.
Apparently, what goes around comes around when it comes to birthing options. This is particularly true of employing birth doulas while using non-traditional medication, birthing methods and in-hospital midwives.
What is a doula?
A birth doula is a knowledgeable, experienced companion who provides support for a woman before, during and after labor to allow for a minimal medical-intervention-birth. By assisting before and during the birth, doulas can help pregnant women and their families through any medical questions they may have beforehand. However, they do not help with medical or clinical skills.
Non-medicated, non-traditional choices
Waterbirths, which are self-explanatory, are much more common now than a decade ago, as is the presence of in-hospital midwives. Baton Rouge Ochsner hired its fourth certified nurse midwife (CNM) this past June. While only two certified professional midwives (CPM) currently attend homebirths in the Baton Rouge area, a third is scheduled for certification next spring. Clearly, a general awareness of birthing options is steadily growing in the Baton Rouge area.
Nicki Solomito Pugh, a local Bradley Method instructor for the past two years, teaches coping methods for natural birth and regularly encounters women seeking personal ways to manage their own births. “I certainly have more students now than when I first started,” she said. In the past few years, Baton Rouge has had greater exposure to non-medicated birth choices, in part because of annual Preserving Normal Birth workshops.
René Johnson, a local birth doula, can testify to more women in the Baton Rouge area fostering non-medicated birth options. Johnson has practiced as a doula since 1980 and said she has noticed a marked increase in waterbirths.
Jackie Macaluso, another local doula, appreciates that such practices now greatly encourage mothers in their care to use these tubs. However, she said more doctors and hospitals need to embrace the relief moms receive from being submerged in water.
Are non-hospital births gaining popularity?
While there is more interest in the use of hypnobirthing, birthing balls and nonsupine (upright) birthing positions within the hospital, some women choose to opt out of the hospital altogether. These women cite safety and “avoidance of unnecessary medical interventions common in hospital births” as their top reasons for avoiding hospitals. While some soon-to-be mommies are embracing a possible home experience, there is some hesitation regarding the medical health for the out-of-hospital option.
In February the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a “Statement Against Home Birth” saying, “ACOG does not support programs that advocate for, or individuals who provide, home births” and that childbirth decisions should not be “dictated by what’s fashionable, trendy or the latest fad.” Currently, out-of-hospital births comprise less than two percent of expectant mothers in the U.S., and this percentage of the population includes women who opt for free-standing birth centers, at home births with midwives and unassisted births.
With non-medicated birth options expanding in the Greater Baton Rouge, more women are exploring their options and finding exactly what works for them and their baby.
| Doulas |
| Doulas do not make decisions for you and do not act as midwives or registered nurses during your births. Doulas can however make a great difference in how your birth turns out, helping you along the way in order to avoid an episiotomy or even an emergency cesarean section. She or he can also offer you alternative methods of natural pain management through such things as massage and positioning. They can also provide you and your partner support during birth, unlike medical professionals who often cannot stay with you throughout the entire birthing process. Doulas usually have a background in childbirth education. |
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| Midwives |
| Nurse midwives are nurses who obtain additional training in midwifery. They are certified after taking a test administered by the American College of Nurse Midwives. They can help with breathing and pain relief techniques and administer pain medication that the obstetrician may suggest. |
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| Waterbirth |
| Waterbirth involves giving birth in a huge tub, which is clean and usually warmed to a temperature of 95 to 100 degrees. Those who worry that a baby will drown should not be. Babies begin breathing as soon as they are exposed to a different environment and air pressure increases outside the womb where they are surrounded by amniotic fluid. |
Baton Rouge Birthing Resources
Baton Rouge General
Medical Center: Birth Center
8585 Picardy Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70809
(225) 763-4000
www.brgeneral.org
Birth Help, LLC
P.O. Box 80117, Baton Rouge, LA 70898
(225) 768-7686
www.birthhelp.com
Family Birth Center of Woman’s Hospital
9050 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge, LA 70815
(225) 927-1300
www.womans.org
Family Centered Birth Services
145 W. Pine Street, Suite 2, Ponchatoula LA 70454
(985) 974-2724
www.birthpartners.com
Gentle Choices, A Birth Center
1424 St. John Street, Lafayette, LA 70506
(337) 706-7160
www.gentlechoicesbirth.com
Ochsner Health Clinic
16777 Medical Center Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70816
(225) 754-3278
www.ochsner.org
Ochsner Clinic
9001 Summa Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70809
(225) 761-5239
www.ochsner.org
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