Doulas and Epidurals Can Be BFFs
“So, will you support me if I decide to get an epidural?”
First, can you believe that pregnant persons even have to ask doulas this question?! (That’s a whole OTHER blog post.)
And second, of course, the answer is an emphatic YES! After all, nonjudgmental support is the cornerstone of Doulas of Raleigh. We support you in whatever choices you want for labor and birth, even if you change your mind in the middle of labor. And that most definitely includes choosing to get an epidural.
Recently, we had a client ask if we birth doulas get bored after a client gets an epidural. NO WAY! Believe it or not, there is still plenty of emotional, physical, and informational support given to our clients that choose a medicated birth.
Epidurals and Emotional Support
Just because you may feel more comfortable after an epidural is placed doesn’t mean that you stop being in labor - your baby is still on the way!
There is a lot to take in and process and its easy to feel overwhelmed. After getting an epidural, the birthing person now has time to turn their focus inward to any emotions they may be feeling. Who better to chat with those feelings about than their doula! The doula is nearby, ready to be an active listener who can affirm that the client will birth this baby one way or another and will be a wonderful parent to their new baby.
Sometimes after an epidural is placed and there is a respite from the intense sensations of labor, the client is just ready to have light, fun conversation. Laugh with your doula about shows you’ve recently binged on Netflix or how awesome your pets are or what to name this baby.
Other clients find that they are exhausted when that epidural finally kicks in. Your doula can make the room dark, quiet, and calm while you close your eyes and let your body relax. They will affirm for you that it is time for you and your partner to rest before you begin pushing.
Speaking of pushing, this is a great time to chat with your doula about that whole experience. Did you know that you will still be able to push AND feel when to push even with an epidural? It’s true.
Epidurals have greatly improved over the past few years and now are great at minimizing contraction intensity while not taking away all your mobility.
Doulas are great at that pre-pushing stage pep talk! They will give you the encouragement to bring baby down and remind you that it’s normal for a first-time birthing person with an epidural to push anywhere between 1 and 4 hours.
Epidurals and Physical Support
Once your epidural is placed, you might be surprised to discover that you still need quite a bit of physical comfort. Enter your doula! If you’re cold or shaky, we’ll find that heated blanket to place on you (we are pretty sure these come straight from heaven). If you’re tense, our magic doula fingers can massage your head, neck, and shoulders. Need a little hair help? If it’s driving you crazy during labor, we’ll grab your brush and get that top knot fixed ASAP.
We can also keep you moving a bit, which in turn helps baby continue to descend. Doulas and nurses can work together to help place a peanut ball between your thighs or rotate you from side to side every 30-45 minutes.
And occasionally, epidurals don’t always work the way they should. In these scenarios, your doula can augment the epidural with a little hands-on pain relief, like giving you counterpressure. They can also work with your nurse to put you in positions that may help the epidural distribute more evenly and effectively.
Here comes that pushing stage again - another time when physical doula support is crucial even with an epidural. They may help hold your leg as you push and show your support person how to do the same. Or suggest different pushing positions and help you move into them. You are working HARD during this stage and if you get hot and sweaty, your doula will keep you cool by placing cold washcloths on your chest and neck and face.
Sometimes you may find that you are out of breath after a set of pushes. It’s really important to try to slow your breathing down so you can feel more calm and relax your muscles between pushes. This slowed-down breathing will also help give an oxygen boost to your baby. And if all that breathing dries out your mouth and lips, your doula can offer you ice chips or sips of cold water or remind your partner to reapply your Chapstick.
Epidurals and Informational Support
Our clients are intelligent and curious and typically have a lot of questions, such as what to expect for the rest of labor, what’s normal for each stage of labor with an epidural, or how to know when to push and what pushing will look like. After an epidural is placed is a great time for your doula to answer these questions. Doulas also spend time chatting about the immediate postpartum stage and what that will look like after receiving an epidural.