by Amanda Walters, FIT4MOM Instructor, Birth Doula

There are countless reasons why doulas should make fitness a priority including for their benefit and the families they are supporting. Aside from the personal gains you, as the doula, receive from making fitness a priority in your life, here are other reasons why regular exercise can help your clients, too!

1. Learn Cueing

As you work out, you’ll learn cues from proper form to motivational cues, which you can then pass on to your birthing mamas.

2. Safety; proper form for strength moves

a. Proper form for both you and your client is critical. Squatting, for example, you both should be in proper form. Birthing or supporting birth in improper form can result in injury for either party.

b. Breathing through movement and exertion

c. Cueing motivationally through mantras – help your moms be mindful through their experience and keep them moving along through the journey

“This is tough but you are tougher”
“You’ll make it through this, just like everything else”
“I want you to feel like the superhero you are”

3. Learn Patience

In fitness, you find patience through the journey. It can take weeks, months, or years to see the results you are seeking.

a. labor has a similar effect – sometimes major effort with very little progress.

b. like fitness, we ask mom to trust the process, be patient and results will come

4. Increase Strength and Flexibility

The moves below that you help perform on moms are a full-body workout! You may be performing these on and off throughout your doula experience.

a. Providing Comfort Measures

b. Hip squeezes/counterpressure

c. Massage

d. Support Birthing Person

e. Supporting squats

f. Getting in and out of bed

g. Getting to the bathroom

5. Reduce Injury and Soreness

This goes hand-in-hand with the above. After you’ve attended a birth, you’re likely sore and stiff, but maintaining your fitness will help with this feeling and you’ll be able to recover more quickly.

6. Resilience

In addition to the above, you’ll be able to reduce recovery time after birth if your fitness level is higher.

7. Increase Stamina and Endurance

Definition - stamina: the bodily or mental capacity to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity, the moral or emotional strength to continue with a difficult process, effort, etc.*

Definition - endurance: the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity*

*According to Merriam-Webster

8. Improve Sleep

It’s important to get sleep before and after a marathon birth! Exercise is crucial in regulating sleep, as well. Regular exercise helps strengthen your circadian rhythm and can help increase your quality of sleep.

For more information on FIT4MOM classes here and locally check out tampabay.fit4mom.com if you’re in Tampa or www.fit4mom.com if you’re farther away.

7 Reasons Birth Doulas Should Make Fitness a Priority