Why Parents in Calgary Hire Doulas

Calgary is home to a thriving and ever growing doula scene. Just 10 years ago, most people here didn't even know what a doula was and now we have pretty much become a household name. There are many factors that have contributed to the popularity of doulas in Calgary. Some of the pieces at play might be our large population growth, the youth of our residents, our highly educated population base, or...

just maybe word is getting around how awesome doulas are!
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​It's no secret that Calgary's population has exploded in the last 20 years. People are attracted from all over Canada, the rest of the continent and overseas for our booming oil, telecommunications and other businesses. Sunny skies and majestic mountains in our backyard add to our allure. This usually means that people are a long ways from home where their family and friends reside, which can be tough for expecting parents. Having their mom, sister or best friend at their bedside for birth or during the newborn phase might be unrealistic. 

Hiring a doula ensures they have a professional on call for them 24/7, ready to jump in as soon as needed.  
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​Calgary is young at heart! More accurately, we have the youngest population base of the major cities  in Canada, with our median age being 36-37 years old. With lots of young people choosing Calgary as their home, it only makes sense that they start their families here.
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No matter your age or stage, there is a doula for you!
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Calgarians are a smart bunch!  Stats show that the percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree or better are far ahead of the national average.  Not that you need a university degree to know that hiring a doula is a good idea, but many professionals do seek out our services.
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Doulas are a great resource to teach you about
pregnancy, birth and newborns!
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It's hard to pick up a pregnancy or parenting book without hearing about doulas.  Also, most prenatal classes nowadays talk about the benefits we offer. While our role is still sometimes confused with that of a midwife's, it seems like most people are now aware about doulas. *Side note: Midwives replace doctors and are responsible for the medical care of you and baby.
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Doulas offer more of a coaching/supportive role
and do not offer medical advice.
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​While it's been fun to look up some of these stats, truly why people in Calgary are hiring doulas are for the following reasons:

• they either don't have friends or family near, or prefer to have an experienced professional by their side while giving birth or caring for their newborn. Having an unbiased, knowledgeable support person can be invaluable! Someone who is trained in what's normal or not and can point you to resources in Calgary when you need additional information or services
• they know that hiring a doula helps to reduce the risk of postpartum depression and increases their chances of being satisfied with their birth experience
• to take pressure off their partner to provide all the help and support. The partner can relax and enjoy the birth experience and their newborn without having to do it all
• they know that giving birth and taking care of a newborn is challenging!  Having a calm, reassuring professional by their side can make it so much easier. Someone to help with breathing, positions, massages, pain relief and information.
• they want the reliability of calling their doula at 3:00 a.m. when they think they are in labour, but are unsure!
• they want someone to help them navigate the hospital scene. Someone who knows where to fetch the ice chips and warm blankets.  Someone who understands what it means when the doctor announces after a vaginal exam, "7 c.m., +2, LOA, intact membranes"
• they want their doula to take care of a load of laundry, bring them a snack, give breastfeeding support and play with their 2 year old while they relax in bed, bonding with the baby/babies
• they have more than one baby and need another set of hands to take care of them
• they want help achieving specific goals for birth or the newborn phase. Perhaps they want a drug free birth, maybe they want to learn how to babywear
• sometimes people want a doula to advocate for them, but a good doula will teach them to advocate for themselves! There's quite a sense of empowerment to speak for yourself rather than have someone else do it for you. The parents' voices speak 10x louder than a doula's anyway. However, that doesn't mean we won't be there to provide gentle reminders of whatever your goals or plans are.

Whatever the case may be, truthfully a doula would be beneficial to just about anyone having a baby! We hope that in 10 years time people won't be asking their expecting friends IF they are hiring a doula, but that they will ask, "WHO is your doula?" And of course, we hope it will be Maternal Instincts!


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