FAQ

A: A midwife supports you in a medical capacity through your pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. A doula supports you physically, emotionally, and informationally through your pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. If you're looking for a midwife, check out our resources page to find some of our recommendations.

A: This depends! If you have a birth partner, NO! We are there to enhance the birth parter's role, not take it over. However, some people do not have a birth partner and hire a doula to fill that role completely. We will do that! If the birthing person does have a birth partner, our job is to provide physical, emotional, and informational support to both parties. We fill in where birth partners don't want to, facilitate them being involved where they want to, and make sure everyone feels comfortable. Feel like a birth doula would be a good choice for your family? Check out our offerings HERE.

A: This isn't correct. The families we have supported through c-section have been thankful to have us there and felt it improved their experience all around. Many doctors allow the doula to come back to the operating room with you. Your doula stays with you while they're preparing you for surgery, goes back with you while you're in surgery, and when the baby is born, trades back and forth with your birth companion. When your birth companion is with the baby, your doula stays with you and vice versa. This helps you not feel alone and gives you a sense of comfort. If you request it, your doula can also take pictures while in there to give you some first glimpses of your sweet baby! When they take you to the recovery area, your doula can join you to help with the transition. 

A: Simply put - No! We support a wide range of situations including, but not limited to, hospital, birth center, homebirth, c-section, induction, medicated, and unmedicated birth. If you'd like to learn more about HypnoBirthing, learn more HERE.

A: If your Empowered Doula can't attend your birth for an unforeseen reason, we will make sure someone attends your birth. We have a great relationship with other doulas that are experienced in the Austin area. We can call on them if a situation comes up that prevents us from attending your birth (i.e. your doula wakes with a fever when you call to say you're in labor). We do our very best to limit the possibility of your doula not being available.

A: We offer a personalized childbirth class to you and your birth partner (if applicable) if you would like to do classes but do not want the HypnoBirthing aspect. We also know many other great childbirth educators in the area and can refer you to them if you prefer. Please contact us directly and we can discuss what the best option is for you.

A: This depends. If you have had some sort of childbirth education in the past, you won't need to take classes again. You can still have an Empowered Doula if you are not taking our or any other childbirth class. However, if during your pregnancy you are having a lot of questions related to childbirth, we may refer you to a class to ensure you're feeling prepared for birth. Prenatal meetings do not allow for enough time to adequately educate you about childbirth.

A: Yes! We have many Empowered Postpartum Doulas. Depending on availability, you can choose from any of them. 

A: From CTDA's website: "When care providers refer to a CTDA doula, they can feel confident their patients will find a professional and ethical doula who abides by CTDA’s Scope of Practice and Ethics Statements. All CTDA doulas are bound to these agreements upon membership. Through professional support, continuing education, and mentor programs for new doulas, CTDA members maintain the highest standards in our profession. CTDA doulas are held accountable for their professional actions and behaviors through the peer accountability program, overseen by our Ethics Committee."  

 http://centxdoulas.org/faq