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| Doula duties a passion for Shulista |
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| Written by Jesse Trimble | |||
| Wednesday, 28 July 2010 08:00 | |||
Heidi Shulista has made a job out of helping people have babies. Through endless hours of coaching, back-rubbing and providing informative support, she’s aided more than 65 women from Miami County and the surrounding area.  Shulista is a doula (pronounced doo-la), which is a non-medical assistant in childbirth who provides emotional, physical and informational support to a woman before, during and after childbirth. For Shulista, who has been serving women as a doula in the Miami County area for five years, it’s all about her role as an educator and a supporter. Becoming a doula, however, wasn’t what Shulista originally anticipated doing with her life. But ultimately, it became her passion. First, she said, she had five amazing children. “All of my births were fine,” she said. “There were no major issues and they were all healthy.” But something was missing. “I wasn’t satisfied with my birth experience,” she said, thinking back. “Women say birth is the most amazing experience — but I didn’t feel that way.” While having all five of her children, she felt like she had no control over the birthing process, and instead, it felt like everything was happening around her. When she realized that friends and family members had the same feeling, she knew something had to be done. “I just felt like there had to be a way I could reach out to other women,” she said. THE DIFFERENCES Women have multiple options, such as doctors, nurses, obstetricians and midwives, all of whom can aid in pregnancy and labor, but Shulista said it’s important to know the differences between each one. Obstetricians are primarily surgeons, but also oversee the birthing process. A midwife is a health care professional who provides services for women, which can include gynecological examinations, contraceptive counseling, labor and delivery care and prescriptions, which is the biggest difference between a midwife and doula. Midwives also “catch” babies, either with hospital or home births, but doulas do not. “My role is education,” Shulista said. “My goal is whatever you want for your birth, I want to achieve that.” Shulista explains that many people today have an anxiety about going to a doctor and her role in that situation is to provide support. “If a doctor is explaining something to a mother and I have a question, more times than not, she has a question about it, too,” she said. “I can explain what’s happening.” As Shulista proudly displays her T-shirt marked “doula.” She said she wears the shirt to her clients’ births so her role is known and she is not mistaken for a family member. THE DOULA PLAN With shelves full of books on birthing, breastfeeding, postpartum depression, pregnancies and more, Shulista is constantly surrounded by her passion. “Although I’m sure my husband is so sick of me getting books from Amazon on birth,” she joked, “I’ve got hundreds.” Certified through Doulas of North America, and having received her education from the Academy of Childbirth Educators, she also teaches classes to couples who have recently become pregnant. Shulista remains prepared to receive a call from a client at any moment, and she generally interviews the mother or the couple first in order to get to know them and make sure they are making the decision they want for them and their baby. She also makes sure she doesn’t schedule any more than three women a month. “It’s about the relationship between myself and the couple,” she said. From there, she discusses birth plans, preferences and desires with the mother. She said a birth preferences plan specifies what choices the mother wants to make during her pregnancy. For example, a mother may make a decision to use pain medication during labor, or may not. Shulista said it’s not up to her, it’s all about the mother and she will support whatever decision the mother makes. “I try to keep it about them,” she said. “If my back hurts or my arms hurt because I’ve been rubbing her back for seven hours — it’s not about me.” She added that everyone interprets pain differently and most times women ask for medication because they are so exhausted from labor itself, not to mention the fear that sets in. “When you’re scared you interpret the pain as being a lot worse,” she said. THERE THROUGH IT ALL Shulista also includes postpartum depression support after the birth for one to two weeks or longer, depending on services needed. If postpartum sets in, Shulista is also available to mothers for longer periods of time. “Most times women experience depression because they are so exhausted after the baby is born,” she said. “You are literally getting maybe one or two hours of sleep at a time, plus the pressure of taking care of this other life.” If a woman or a woman’s family members suspect she may be experiencing postpartum depression, Shulista usually interviews the new mother, as well as the husband and the new mother’s mother, too. “If you’ve got a problem and need a doula, if you’ve had a trauma, I’m there through thick and thin,” she said. “I’ll be your best friend, your child birth educator and a mom all rolled into one. You can yell at me, you can scream at me — I won’t leave you.” No matter what, Shulista said her job and the miracles that happen are always worth it in the end. “My favorite part is after a baby is born, though,” she said as a contagious grin spread across her face. “The mom turns to look at the dad and they both look at the baby and they kiss. It was just two people before, but now it’s a family. It could make me cry just thinking about it. To see that bond — the birth of a baby is a miracle in and of itself.” Shulista can be reached via her website, www.everyonedeservesadoula.com or by searching for her on Facebook. Heidi’s suggested reading list for expecting mothers: Pregnancy “The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth” by Henci Goer “The Mother of Al Pregnancy Books” by Ann Douglas Birth “Gentle Birth Choices” by Barbara Harper, R.N. “Active Birth: The new approach to giving birth naturally” by Janet Balaskas “Birth Your Way” by Sheila Kitzinger (home births and birth centers) Breastfeeding “The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers” by Jack Newman, M.D. “The Breastfeeding Answer Book” by La Leche League International Becoming a Mother “Ourselves as Mothers” by Shila Kitzinger “The Year After Childbirth” by Kitzinger The Newborn “The Baby Book” by Sears and Sears “Your Amazing Newborn” by Klaus and Klaus Doula “The Doula Book” by Klaus, Kennell and Klaus “The Doula Advantage” by Rachel Gurevich Doulas’ positive effects on birth outcomes according to Doulas of Greater Kansas City Labors are shorter Births have fewer complications Cesarean rates are reduced Fewer births require pitocin to speed up labor Women request less pain medication and fewer epidurals Babies have shorter hospital stays and fewer admissions to special-care nurseries — www.kcdoulas.org
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