Prioritizing the Investment of Your Birth
In a previous blog, we talked about the importance and benefits of hiring professional labor support early in pregnancy.
Today we want to talk about how to prioritize and even invest in your birth. There are so many things in our lives we choose to invest in and even fork over a lot of money for. Some have a great ROI, some don’t, and some things have an ROI that cannot be measured physically, but rather emotionally and a return of priceless memories that will last a lifetime.
You invest in your wedding day. The average wedding in America today costs $26,444 (source). You plan for months and sometimes even years to have the wedding of our dreams. Some couples choose to elope in Vegas or travel to an exotic island to get hitched. These memories will last a lifetime, and we want our friends and family to enjoy the big day too. So, good investment!
You invest in your first home. This is one purchase that should definitely yield a good return. It’s a smart move financially to become homeowners…but even more than that, it’s where you make your first memories as a family. It’s where you have friends over for special occasions, girls’ nights, and even where you gather with your closest friends and family to find comfort during hard times. Purchasing a home, although most likely the most expensive purchase you will make in your lifetime, is a great, sound, and smart investment.
You invest in cribs, nursery furniture, and baby gear. According to Parenting.com, the average middle-income family will spend roughly $12,000 on child-related expenses in their baby’s first year of life. Now that one is a little jaw dropping! Everything quickly adds up when it comes to baby stuff. However, if your family or friends are throwing you a baby shower, you can significantly lower that impact on your wallet!
But even with all these important things we choose to invest in…why aren’t more people investing in their births?
Your birth experience is hugely important. There’s a common belief in our culture that birth is just a means to an end…that it’s something that just happens TO us in order to bring our child into the world, and the experience of birth itself will quickly dissipate once you are holding that sweet baby in your arms. The truth of it is, we are learning more and more about how truly important it is for mothers to have good and healthy birth experiences. A positive birth experience can even lower your risk of postpartum depression. This is achieved through the mother staying informed and involved in her care, trust and communication with her provider, and feeling safe during her labor and birth, for starters.
We believe one of the best ways to become an active participant in your birth and to aim for a healthy birth experience is to invest in it.
What we recommend doing to begin investing in your birth experience is hiring your doula, of course! Like we mentioned in our last blog, hiring a labor support professional means you are not limited to just having support on the “big day”. There are many ways that a doula provides invaluable, personal support to you and your partner throughout your pregnancy, and from the moment you go into labor through those first few weeks postpartum. Studies show that simply having a doula present at your birth lowers your chances of having a c-section by 28%. According to Evidence Based Birth, women who have professional labor support at their birth experience a :
31% decrease in the use of Pitocin
28% decrease in the risk of C-section
12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief*
14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery
34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience
*Even though more women were able to labor without pain medication, doula support is not limited to women choosing unmedicated birth. We will be exploring how doulas can provide invaluable support through medicated births, inductions, and cesareans in another post!
So, if you want to talk about a good ROI, investing in your birth experience by hiring a doula is where it’s at! Your doula works for YOU. Your doula will help you navigate through the ups and downs of pregnancy, and even provide invaluable resources as you choose the rest of your birth team and pregnancy support providers. Investing in your birth will yield an amazing return mentally and emotionally for you, which ultimately impacts your partner, children, and will stay with you for the rest of your life. In our next post, we will explore other very important ways to invest in your birth. Stay tuned!!