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What
is a Monitrice?
During the third
trimester of pregnancy, a monitrice
educates you and your partner about
preparing for labor and delivery,
exercises to help stretch and strengthen
your key muscles, what should be on hand
for a more comfortable labor and
possible early signs of labor. You call
your monitrice when you think labor is
probably beginning. Then the monitrice:
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Comes
to your home
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Checks
maternal vital signs.
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Checks
fetal heart rate with a fetascope or
ultrasonic doppler
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Performs a vaginal exam for fetal
position, presentation, station,
effacement, dilation and possible
membrane rupture.
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Observes the progress of labor.
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Discusses the need for the
monitrice's presence with you and
your partner. If the monitrice
determines that early labor will
probably continue for many hours,
you might prefer to get as much rest
as you can by yourselves, in which
case the monitrice leaves and checks
on things periodically.
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Remains
present during the more active
phases of labor and through
delivery.
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Recommends measures which can help
alleviate pain in specific
situations.
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Periodically throughout labor makes
further fetal and maternal
assessments.
Thus, you can determine
when it's time to leave for the
hospital. You're much less likely to
leave prematurely, either to be sent
back home or to extend your hospital
stay and thereby increase the
probability of medical intervention.
The monitrice remains in the labor and
delivery room through the early
postpartum period.
Thus, monitrice support provides
important continuity of care which
starts at your home. Most expectant
mothers, not just those with a special
need, would be better off laboring
longer at home.
What is Doula?
Labor/birth support doulas are trained
and experienced labor support persons
who attend to the emotional and physical
comfort needs of laboring women to
smooth the labor process. They do not
perform clinical tasks such as heart
rate checks, or vaginal exams but rather
use
massage,
aromatherapy,
positioning suggestions, etc., to help
labor progress as well as possible.
A labor/birth support doula joins a
laboring woman either at her home or in
hospital or
birth center
and remains with her until around 2
hours after the birth. Some doulas also
offer several prenatal visits, phone
support, and one postpartum meeting to
ensure the mother is well informed and
supported. The terms of a labor/birth
doula's responsibilities are decided
between the doula and the family.
In addition to emotional,
physical and informational support,
doulas work as advocates of their
client’s wishes and may assist in
communicating with medical staff to
obtain information for the client to
make informed decisions regarding
medical procedures.
The doula is an ally and occasional
mentor for the father/significant other.
Their respective roles are similar, but
the differences are crucial. The father
or partner typically has little actual
experience in dealing with the
often-subtle forces of the labor
process, and may receive enormous
benefit from the birth-familiar presence
of a doula in the vicinity. Even more
important, many fathers experience the
birth as an emotional journey of their
own and find it hard to be objective in
such a situation, and a doula
facilitates the family process. Studies
have shown that fathers usually
participate more actively during labor
with the presence of a doula than
without one. A responsible doula supports
and encourages the father in his support
style rather than replaces him.
Who needs a Monitrice or
Doula?
Every
pregnant woman can benefit from the
experienced support of a Monitrice or
Doula during pregnancy, labor, birth and
the postpartum period. They are
particularly useful for first-time
mothers, women having a VBAC, and women
who have strong negative associations
with previous births. Both are useful
for women who desire a natural,
unmedicated birth.
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