Parents Can Now Select Their Doula at Brookings Health System
- August 29, 2022
“Ask a Doula” sessions start Sept. 12
Parents who deliver at New Beginnings Birth Center at Brookings Health System can now select a doula ahead of their birth to help them through the labor and delivery process.
“Starting Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., we will hold a monthly ‘Ask a Doula’ session on our OB unit where expectant parents can talk one-on-one with our doulas and get to know them on a personal level,” said Obstetrics Director Michelle Sand, RN. “Moms and dads can learn more about services a doula provides and can also select one of our doulas to attend their birth and be at their side during labor and delivery.”
The change to the doula program, which was established by the health system in 2011, builds a trust level between parents and their doula. Historically doulas at Brookings Health would be on call for 12- or 24-hour shifts. When delivering parents came to New Beginnings Birth Center and requested a doula, whomever was on call would be the doula to attend the parents’ birth. Now by choosing their own doula ahead of time, parents can establish a relationship with their doula through phone calls and texts during their pregnancy. By understanding parents birth goals and wishes, the doula can help provide an even better birth experience for mothers and fathers.
Parents who select a doula for labor and delivery support through Brookings Health System will be billed a $350 flat fee, roughly a 65 percent cost reduction from an all-inclusive private doula birth package. In addition to offering pregnancy support and attending the birth, the doula package includes help for parents one to two hours after delivery. Other postpartum services can be arranged privately between the doula and the parents.
Doulas at Brookings Health System must complete either a Childbirth Professionals International or Doulas of North America (DONA) training course or its equivalent. As doulas, they provide continuous labor support during childbirth and help expecting parents have healthier, easier births. They also assist mothers and their partners with emotional and physical needs, making the experience as comfortable and memorable as possible.
Expectant parents interested in selecting a doula can attend a monthly “Ask a Doula” session at Brookings Health System. Upcoming dates and more information about doula services are available on Brookings Health’s website, brookingshealth.org/doula.
About Brookings Health System
Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic & Optical, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.