BIRTHWISE IN BIRMINGHAM
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Dalia >
      • Dalia Testimonials
    • About Susan
    • About Anjanette
    • About Renee
    • About Yanick
    • About Blakely
  • Services
    • Open House
    • Birth Doulas >
      • The evidence for doulas
      • On-Call doulas
    • A La Carte Childbirth Classes >
      • Birth Prep Essentials
      • Instinctive Birth
      • Navigating your Hospital Birth Part I
      • Navigating Your Hospital Birth Part II
      • Comprehensive Comfort Measures
      • Getting Off to the Breast Start
      • Welcome to Parenting!
      • Soothe & Sleep
      • Childbirth Class Testimonials
    • Private Childbirth Class
    • Birth Prep Coaching
    • StrongParent Virtual Group
    • Breastfeeding Services
    • Massage
    • Birth Pool Rental
    • Birth Doula Workshop
  • Contact Us
    • Sign up for our Email List
    • Register for "A La Carte" classes
    • Open House RSVP
  • Gift Certificates
  • Blog
    • Birth Memoirs
  • Forms and Printouts
  • Dalia's Soap Box

Birth Doula Support at UAB hospital? Why not:

1/6/2016

13 Comments

 
Picture
"Only with trust, faith, and support can a woman allow the birth experience to enlighten and empower her." ~ Penny Simkin

UPDATE July 2019. Although we still feel strongly that UABs so called "Doula Partnership Agreement" interferes with the doula/client relationship and is a detriment to providing the best doula care, BirthWise has started to accept clients going to UAB on a limited basis. Please contact us if you need a doula. And still read this blog.    
in service   ~ BirthWise Doulas

BirthWise in Birmingham, as a group of doulas serving mothers in Birmingham, Anniston and Tuscaloosa, have decided to stop providing labor support at UAB hospital.
We would like to explain why:
 
BirthWise doulas pledge to uphold the DONA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice governing a doula’s behavior, ethics and scope of practice. DONA is the oldest and most recognized doula certifying organization nationally, and has developed this code and these standards to assure doulas behave in a professional manner and provide the best services possible. If a client, OB, nurse or hospital should have a complaint about a doula’s actions, DONA has a grievance procedure in place.
As doulas, we believe a woman has the right and competence to choose the members of her labor support team.  This includes the right to hire the doula of her choice, based on her personal priorities and preferences. It also includes the right to bring her doula with her to the hospital to provide continuous labor support. 
Furthermore, BirthWise doulas enter into a contractual agreement (here's our contract) with our clients. We are not employed by a hospital or particular provider.  Research has shown that the benefits of doula support on maternal/fetal outcomes and satisfaction are greatest when doulas work independently of hospitals (Continuous Support for Women During Childbirth and see more research about doulas here).  We believe that we are able to establish trust and provide the best support for our clients when we work independently.
 
UAB has recently instituted a policy requiring doulas and doula clients to sign UAB documents that were drafted without doula input. All patients are now being asked to sign “Information for Patients and Families Regarding Doulas”, and all doulas must sign a “Doula Partnership Agreement". The “Doula Partnership Agreement” is essentially a contract between the doula and the hospital that was created without the input of doulas or doula clients. Being required to sign this agreement conflicts with our doula-client contract, infringes on our ability to practice our profession according to the full scope of our practice, and therefore prevents us from providing the best care possible for our clients.
 
We believe these documents come between ourselves and our doula clients. They create an environment of distrust, rather than one of mutual respect and collaboration between doulas and hospital staff.
 
Therefore, regretfully, as long as UAB’s regulatory policy remains in place, we cannot, in good conscience, provide labor support at UAB hospital.
 
Birmingham is fortunate to have many options for pregnancy and birth. Among these there are many who recognize the positive emotional and clinical impact a doula can have before, during, and after birth. We would be happy to point you to a provider or facility that recognizes the patient's right to choose her own birth team without interfering in the contractual relationship with the doula she chooses. 


13 Comments

    Archives

    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    May 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Categories

    All
    Birth
    Birth Biography
    Birth Doula
    Birth Memoir
    Birth Partner
    Birth Plan
    Birth Story
    Birth Team
    Brookwood
    Cesarean Birth
    Cesarean Section
    Childbirth Class
    Choosing Your Care Provider
    Comfort Measures
    C-section
    Dads And Doulas
    Dalia
    Doula
    Dr. Cooper
    Earthy Birthy Fair
    Evidence Based Care
    Expo
    Fitness
    Heather
    Hospital Birth
    IChooseB
    IDecideHow
    Kaleigh
    Microaggressions
    Monogram Maternity
    Postpartum
    Pregnancy
    Princeton
    Racism
    Rights
    Simon Williamson
    St. Vincent's
    UAB
    VBA3C
    VBAC

    RSS Feed