Doula?

Do you have experience with a doula? What's it like? What should I expect? How should I prepare?

The views expressed in community are solely the opinions of participants, and do not reflect those of Peanut.

We loved having a Doula for our first. She was able to answer questions prior to birth and was a great support while I was laboring. She was great for explaining things and helping me know how to advocate for what I needed. She also kept notes of what was going on and took photos. If I wasn’t having a C-section this time, I would have had her again. She also helped with reminding my husband to eat and showing him techniques to help with my pain/discomfort. She would go grab stuff as needed as well. If it’s in your budget, you should definitely meet with a few and find one that meshes well with you.

i loved having a doula! she came over to my place several times during pregnancy to talk about birth, my desires for birth, she gave us some education and taught us ways for your partner to support you during labor. overall just a great support person to have during pregnancy and was super knowledgeable. when it came time for birth, she wasn’t able to make it to the hospital because it was a snow storm that night!! luckily she had a backup doula in place, who came immediately and was sooo great. even though we had never met she jumped right in to be there for me. my labor was long and she was there the whole time, reassuring me, bringing me water, rubbing and putting pressure on my back during the contractions, helping my man support me. and much more. next time i’ll probably hire her from the start! if you have the means i highly recommend it, especially in a hospital birth

i see you’re in colorado, so am i! @doulapooka is her instagram if you’re interested

I’m a doula as well and I’m open to answering any questions you have about us and what we do

I had a doula for my first and she was amazing! Was a great support during pregnancy with preparing for birth, advising on exercises to help baby get in the best position for birth as well. During birth was great having someone else there to help with things we spoke about in the preparation for birth, remind us what we wanted and help my husband advocate for me and to help me! And she took some incredible photos / videos! I'd have had her again if we had the money!

Best thing to spend money on is a DOULA CHANGED OUR ENTIRE experience

@✨Wis 🇭🇹 My baby was born at the end of june , but I got a doula scholarship through mom's group in and i'm meeting her for the first time today. So I'm curious - she's not assisting me with anything to do with the birth as that has already happened. But I guess she's gonna help me get my house in order? I'm not sure what to expect. I have a lot of clutter and neglected yards. But I'd be very embarrassed if I asked her to mow lawn/pull weeds if that's not the sort of things she does. Also, if I asked her to tend to the children while I do those chores, what if she doesn't do that either? I feel like a very socially awkward person (especially since being a SAHM for 4 years now) so I'd prefer to "prepare" beforehand to avoid any embarrassment. Suggestions?

ok so she’s a postpartum doula. Usually postpartum doulas help you with the baby, light housekeeping, meal prep and that sort of thing. Mowing the lawn is def not in our list of services but she can help you around the house. It can vary from doula to doula but just ask her what type of support she offers and go from there. She’ll tell you what she can and cannot do

@✨Wis 🇭🇹 thank you, that's helpful. I'm nervous! I'm shy, awkward, and she's coming into my house that I haven't had time to make presentable!

trust me, doulas see it all so don’t worry about your house looking a mess, she’s coming alongside you to help. Don’t hesitate to ask questions ans don’t feel embarrass

in our community

Anyone else up feeding their Bebe?

As above. Trying so hard to keep my eyes open

Is this normal??

I’m 29 weeks pregnant and having really aching legs and they’re all lumpy and swollen. Above the knee and behind the knee . Should I be worried ? My legs have never looked like this up until a few days ago. ??

Induction experience

I just wanted to share my experience with being induced as I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought it may help others.

I opted for the foley balloon which was inserted at 8am Saturday morning, I had to stay in hospital due to hypertension and protein urine however usually you can just go home once this has been done. The insertion of the balloon was not painful, was slightly uncomfortable as there was slight pressure. I actually found having the cervix checked prior to be worse (again not painful at this point just uncomfortable) The balloon had little effect and after having it removed I was still only 1cm. Removal also was pain free and hardly even noticeable.

I then had my first dose of the gel and definitely noticed a difference, I started experiencing period like cramps almost immediately however they were light and manageable. After 6 hours I had another cervix check and although my cervix was soft it was still only 1cm and was only open at the front. I had another dose of the gel and felt an increase in pressure and more intense cramping where I now required pain relief (codeine). After another 6 hours I had another cervix check and I had now dilated to 2-3cm however was still quite difficult to get all the way through so a third gel was recommended which I agreed to.

Almost immediately I noticed the difference and was in considerable pain, I had paracetamol and codeine however the contractions had now become intense and a lot closer together (around 3 minutes apart). After a couple of hours I had my last cervix check and was 4cm and taken down to the Labour ward to have my waters broken and an epidural.

I had been in my room for approx 20minutes when my waters broke by themselves and I was now 10cm and actively pushing…. There was no time for the epidural and my beautiful girl arrived into the world within 2 minutes of pushing.

All in all I would say the cramps/contractions were manageable up until the third gel where it became pretty unbearable however it was for a very short time a gas and air helped take the edge off. The worst part about any of it was actually the later cervix checks where after stimulating the cervix my contractions were at their most painful.

If I had to be induced again I would skip the balloon and opt for the gels immediately as thy had a quicker effect and I would have been out a lot sooner if I had done this to begin with.

One more thing, I’ve never believed when people say “you forget the pain once they’re here” but I can honestly say this is true. It’s been 4 days and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Gave birth (vagina) 5 days ago and yesterday morning and this morning getting lot of pain in my right bottom side and lower back

Doctors appt horror stories

I got peed on at my one month olds doctors appointment and I wanted to see if others had similar experiences. It was just hilarious but also like whyyyy! Also jeez those doctors seem to be so rough when they’re pressing on the baby’s stomach and just moving them around checking their muscles and stuff.

Exercise 6 weeks after c section

What movement did people start to introduce? I won’t do anything too vigorous until I’ve seen the pelvic physio as I don’t want to compromise anything that may have been extremely weakened through pregnancy! But just wondering what types of classes/movement people started off with?