How a Doula Supports the Transformational Experience of Childbirth
by Jacquie Moore

Some of the most important events in our lives cannot be controlled by us. Our births, and too often, our deaths, are out of our hands. But there are some significant milestones which we have the ability to orchestrate and the experience can alter our lives. Childbirth is one of them.

More and more parents-to-be are actively planning the event of childbirth; that is, creating an ideal birth plan for themselves, and making all the preparations necessary to be able to fulfill that vision when the time arrives. Many are accessing the services of a doula to do so.

“Doula” is a Greek word, referring to a woman experienced in childbirth who supports and assists other women during their pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum experience. Throughout history – and still today in many areas of the world – a woman in labour was surrounded by other women; giving her back rubs, providing emotional support, helping her feel better. Today's doulas are more diverse than their forerunners, though. And just as one obstetrician differs from another, individual doulas will bring different energy and resources to the birth process.

“Birth transforms you,” says Sunava Peever, a Saskatoon-based doula. “This is a life-changing moment. Birth has the power to show us how strong we are, how capable we are – and that will make us stronger mothers and partners. This experience is ours and ours alone. I want to encourage women to be as involved with that process as they can, instead of feeling like someone else is doing it for them.”

Sunava has been a practicing doula for seventeen years. She is also a registered massage therapist, a professional massage instructor, and an infant massage instructor. As a Certified Doula, she teaches prenatal and postpartum care classes in conjunction with a certified nurse midwife and a university anatomy instructor in Saskatoon. These are six-week sessions designed to fully inform expecting parents on all aspects of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and infant care.

“Most of my prenatal education is about working on fear, and dealing with the belief system that we're raised with around fear of pain,” says Sunava. “But pain, like pleasure, is a state of mind. In childbirth, feeling pain is productive, as it releases more hormones, which makes the contractions stronger and more effective. A woman needs to know that her body makes endorphins during labour. These are 'feel-good hormones' and if she feels safe, relaxed, and supported, her body can become flooded with these 'endo-friends'.”

Mothering the Mother is a 1993 book written by childbirth authorities Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus. According to them, a doula can: decrease first-time labours by an average of two hours; lower the chance of Cesarean section deliveries by 50 percent; decrease the need for pain medications; help fathers participate in the birth with confidence; and increase success in breast-feeding.

“Doulas provide support at hospital births,” says Sunava. “And I appreciate and value being in that hospital environment because if anything is needed, it's there. However, hospitals run on routines, and a typical hospital birth is not necessarily 'normal' and 'natural'. A natural birth is where a woman is allowed to follow her instinctual process, to do whatever she needs to do. And as a doula, I am there to support that. Nurses and doctors come and go with their shifts, but a doula is a constant presence for the parents. I help a family stick, as much as possible, to their ideal birth plan.”

She does this, she says, by being their advocate at the hospital to ensure their wishes are respected. “My philosophy is this: there's no judgment. There's no winning or losing in labour. If pain medication is requested or a C-section is needed, it is not my place to judge that experience. It's about a woman being informed every step of the way, which empowers her to make clearer decisions.”

Sunava believes bringing a new soul into the world is a sacred act. “I feel it's important for the parents to create and maintain a sacred space throughout the pregnancy and during the birth,” she says. “Ultimately, I am there for the partnership. I work with both people in communicating, pair-bonding, and dealing with both of their fears throughout the entire process.”

“And I love watching couples reach out and connect. Seeing these fathers who have come to accept that they can't fix their wife's pain, they can't rescue her. It's a moment of realizing that he can't do it – but she can! It's okay to feel vulnerable and scared, it doesn't need to be fixed. We support. We can't control. It's about letting men have a breather, allowing them to depressurize.”

Sunava is able to give her clients pregnancy massage which maintains flexibility for the upcoming delivery, improves digestion, and reduces swelling and musculoskeletal pain. As well, she offers infant massage which develops bonding between parents and infants while providing many emotional and physical benefits for the baby. She is also trained in Myofascial Release, CranioSacral Therapy, Quantum Touch, Chi Nei Tsang, and BodyTalk therapies.

“My training is actually very medical; it is clinical and structured,” says Sunava. “But my experiences in life are spiritual. I wanted to bring the two together. So the tactics I use to help women cope with their pain – and experience the joy of birth – are a combination of my life experience and training. We focus on one moment at a time, one breath at a time. And everybody can handle one breath at a time.”

“A positive birth experience changes you. It is a story you'll tell for the rest of your life. It becomes part of your physiological memory, it stays with you forever. Why not make it the best experience possible – for both the parents and the baby?”

Jacquie Moore is a Saskatoon freelance writer. She is currently working on a book about folk healers, diviners, and mystics of Saskatchewan thanks to the gracious support of the Sask. Arts Board. She can be reached at j.moore@sasktel.net or phone (306) 652-3832. To contact Sunava Peever call (306) 244-8865, email: sunavap@sasktel.net, and see the display ad on page 16 of the 12.1 May/June issue of the WHOLifE Journal.