5 Go-to Labour Tools from 5 DNA Doulas

From birth combs to hip squeezes, and heat packs to a Rebozo, a Doula's go-to birth tool is as unique as every birth. In this article, our experienced committee members share their favourite comfort measures with fellow birth workers.

Sandra Levick - Vice President & Doula for 8 years

Go-to labour tool: Breath

Despite every gadget and technique available, Sandra has found breath to be the most transformative. It's free, and anyone can use it!

It is helpful if women and birthing people can practice the different breathing techniques ahead of labour, but the most important thing is that they feel comfortable with the chosen technique.

Some to try include breath patterns that match labour's progression: 

• Slow 4-4-6 breathing (in-hold-out) during early labour to maintain calm and conserve energy.
• Light, rhythmic breathing during active labour to ride the waves; and 
• Spontaneous physiological breathing during the second stage. 

Breath can really come into its own during transition, when your client may be losing their anchor. Encourage their partner (if they have one) to join them in their space and breathe audibly, visibly, and slowly with them. This mirroring technique is effective when talking becomes too difficult for Mum.

Learn more about breathing techniques: https://australianbirthstories.com/birth/how-to-breathe-in-labour/ 

Natalie Meade - Committee Member & Doula for 14 years

Go-to labour tool: Tone of Voice and Facial Expressions

Natalie focuses on the energy she brings into the birth space and recognises how our nervous systems feed off one another. Making sure her vocal tone is low, slow, and steady, even during times of high intensity, ensures her client's nervous system is getting what it needs to regulate.

If her clients are high-pitched and stressed, she lowers her tone and becomes calmer, avoiding upward inflections that sound like questions, which can introduce uncertainty. Instead, she uses statements like, "You're doing this. This is normal. You're safe."

Facial expressions do equal work. Soft eyes, a relaxed jaw, and open body language are nonverbal cues that convey to the pregnant person they are safe without a word being spoken. 

It’s important to keep neutral expressions. Avoid showing concern, surprise, or urgency unless absolutely necessary. 

Learn more: https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/new-edge-science/polyvagal-principles-for-birth-and-postpartum.html 

Virginia Maddock - Committee Member & Doula for 20 years

Go-to labour tool:  Banksia Pods and Herbs

A banksia pod has help numerous women and birthing people manage their labour and birth and Virginia considers them indispensable in her doula kit. Their textured surface provides perfect sensory distraction. Mum can hold and squeeze them during a surge, they can ease tense muscles, or be rolled under tired feet. The bumpy sensation provides the brain with something else to process during peaks.

As a qualified herbalist, Virginia uses herbal tinctures for her clients during labour, including Siberian Ginseng to help with flagging energy, and Raspberry Leaf to tone the uterus and help keep contractions strong. 

Learn more: https://naturalbeginnings.com.au/

Samantha Gunn - President & Doula for 9 years

Go-to labour tool: Affirmations and Spiky Wooden Balls

Sam knows that supporting birth requires addressing both the psychological and physical experiences simultaneously.

Affirmations are powerful when personalised - enabling your client to address their specific fears and amplify their strengths. She prints them out and uses them to decorate the birth space, so they act as visual anchors as well as enabling partners to read them aloud.

Affirmations can help heal a previous trauma or a difficult birth experience because the woman or pregnant person is rewriting the script in real time. Verbalising who they are and what they can achieve.

Spiky wooden acupressure balls are also a regular feature of Sam's doula kit. Whether used on the sacrum, palms, or under feed, they provide counter-pressure and sensory gating that redirects your client’s brain away from their contraction. Because they are small, partners feel confident using them too. 

Learn more: https://www.mentalhealth.com/tools/science-of-affirmations

Aleesha Simon - Committee Member & Doula for 1 year

Go-to labour tool: Water

During her time supporting women and pregnant people in labour, water immersion has been the single most effective tool she's seen. 

It has a dramatic effect on pain relief and allows for labour progression, as the buoyancy enables position changes that are more difficult on land. And her clients don't have to get into a birthing pool to enjoy the benefits of water. 

A shower head directed at the lower back is a game-changer for many people, especially when you are labouring at home. Cold washcloths for the forehead and neck during pushing, warm compresses for perineal support, and, of course, sips of water during labour, all make a massive difference to a woman's comfort levels. 

Resources: RANZCOG - Water Immersion During Labour and Birth - evidence and guidelines

What's your go-to labour tool? What have you found unexpectedly effective in your practice? Head over to our Facebook group and share.