The short answer is YES. The long answer is not always. What I mean is if you want to use a care provider that we do not feel will give you the type of birth you desire, we will tell you the truth. If you want to continue with this practice, we will support you knowing you have made an informed decision. You need to remember we have the experience of over 1000 births. This means we have either worked with that group or at that hospital before more than likely. We also are networked with lots of birth professionals and we hear the good and the bad about care providers. When someone mentions they are having a VBAC and using a doctor who is not known for supporting VBACs, it sends up a red flag. Trust me, if there is a doctor supporting VBACs we know about him or her!
There is a group at Dekalb that is associated with one particular doula group. They have established a relationship of referrals. This does not mean we don’t work with that group. It does not mean that they only work with that group. It means they have developed some type of relationship of referrals. This may be because the doula group has worked hard to set that up. Or it may mean that this group practices in such a way that the care providers really like them. It does not mean others have not. It could mean that others really don’t go to that hospital very often for whatever reason or has not decided to try to work with this group specifically. So, just because a group is not on a preferred list does not mean they are not welcomed by the practice, it may be that the practice has not worked hard to be known to that group or feels no reason to do so. If you choose this practice, you can choose any doula you like.
There is a group at North Fulton that is associated with only a few select birth professionals. The person who manages the group website and events has bylaws that says doulas and childbirth educators who are part of a group can not be a part of their events. Why? Well some think it is a way of only promoting her practice. She states that it is in the best interest to not allow groups to be a part. But whose best interest? In doing so it eliminates a lot of wonderful groups of doulas and educators who may provide doulas and classes who would be a perfect fit. They only show one type of childbirth classes. This has caused a lot of confusion on the part of folks who choose this group of care providers. I get questions as to whether they can choose a doula who is not an affiliate and also do they have to take “their” classes.
The answer is NO. We work with this group all the time. We enjoy working with these midwives. We wish the family liaison was welcoming of different groups, she is not. And unless this changes, you will not see any of the doulas who are part of groups in the metro area attending these events. Understand it is not our desire to not support and work with this group of midwives. If you desire to work with different doulas and desire to have freedom in selecting the type of childbirth class you connect with- realize you are able to do so.
We love attending the Meet and Greets of practices that welcome doulas as wonderful support members to the birth team. If a group is offering this opportunity it is because they believe in the evidence based medicine that doulas really do make a difference in birth outcomes. When a group who offers a Meet and Greet type event and does not invite a multiplicity of doulas, it should also speak to their philosophy. We love practices that list a large selection of doulas and educators they work with- they understand that every one is an unique individual and should be able to choose the right birth team for her. Keep that in mind when selecting a group.
