While more people are now familiar with what a birth doula is, most people do not know about the emerging field of fertility doulas. You no longer have to wait until you are pregnant to get a doula, but can hire a doula for conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Still not sure how a fertility doula can benefit you? Read on to see the reasons why a fertility doula might be right for you.
1. Maximize your chances to get pregnant each cycle
Making the decision to try for a baby is a time of excitement and anticipation, but it can also can be a time of stress. It’s also one of the first times on the parenting journey that you might find yourself lost on the Google train. Each website, forum, and comment thread has a different must-do practice for pregnancy achievement, and it’s so easy to get lost and overwhelmed with all the cyber noise. Hiring a fertility doula cuts out the stress of the endless lists of pregnancy inducing tasks and can help focus your energy to the most important steps for conception.
2. Troubleshoot your cycle
When trying to conceive, people begin to listen more intently to their bodies. And since you are listening, you suddenly notice every twinge, bit of discharge, and belly gurgle. Everything suddenly becomes a sign of ovulation or a possibly early pregnancy symptom. And sometimes those symptoms and signs are confusing. The knowledge and experience of a fertility doula can help cut through the confusion and provide some answers to your questions about your cycle.
3. Navigate your fertility choices
While most couples that are trying for a baby will conceive within a year, one in ten couples experience fertility problems. A fertility doula can help you navigate the world of infertility through providing information about different fertility options. While a fertility doula is not a medical professional, a fertility doula can help you understand your options regarding fertility treatments and procedures as well as provide information about complementary options and practitioners in your area.
4. Attend your appointments with you
Some fertility doulas will even come to appointments with you. Fertility treatments or diagnostic tests can be a long and draining process. With your fertility doula there, she can help you remember questions you may have for your healthcare professional and help you understand the benefits and risks of the different treatment options presented to you. Fertility procedures can also be physically and emotionally taxing, so many people find the physical and emotional support of a doula helpful to combat the stress and anxiety of medical treatments.
5. Emotional support
Whether you are just starting to try and conceive or have been trying for awhile, each cycle can be emotionally draining and isolating. When it comes to family planning, friends and family can have unwelcomed opinions about your choices. Many people do not feel comfortable sharing technical details about their sex life with friends, and even those you are comfortable sharing with may grow tired of hearing about the specifics of your fertility symptoms if conception takes awhile. A fertility doula, however, is like your fertility best friend that will always listen to you and you never have to worry about getting tired or grossed out by talking about cervical mucus or the pain of injecting a trigger shot in your butt.
Wherever you are in your journey, a fertility doula is ready to support you through the highs and the lows of it all.
Brave Steps Doula Services - Vancouver, WA 