Welcoming Doulas into Community Hospitals
We're so proud to work with local doulas, who we consider to be part of your healthcare team, helping to create a more relaxed birthing experience for you whether you deliver at Clovis Community or Community Regional medical centers.
What is a doula?
Simply put, a doula is a helpful guide who's there to improve your experience — before, during and after childbirth.
Doulas are professionally trained in childbirth but are non-clinical, meaning they can't give medical advice or perform medical procedures. What they can do is:
- Act as a link between you and your medical care team, explaining to your physician and nursing staff your birth plan and advocating for your needs so you can focus on having a great birth experience
- Give you information about the procedures and actions performed, easing any uncertainty or worry
- Be a source of physical comfort to you, guiding you through breathing exercises and administering massage in an effort to reduce stress and anxiety for you and your baby
- Provide support and encouragement to you and your partner, spouse or loved ones
Why are doulas important?
There are many benefits to having a doula assist you throughout the pregnancy journey. Studies have shown that doulas help decrease cesarean rates, the length of labor, and even pain medication use.
Having someone in the room who's there for your needs, to make your experience the best it can be, is a source of comfort for many mothers and their partners. Postpartum, a doula can help with feeding, newborn care and providing emotional support.
Finding a doula
While we welcome doulas into our delivery rooms, Community doesn't have doulas on staff. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to find a doula that works for you. In some cases, doula assistance may even be covered by Medi-Cal.
Or, you can search the California Department of Health Care Services doula directory by county to find a doula in your area.
Track Your Pregnancy with the Free MyHealthMate App
Whether you choose to deliver your baby at Community Regional or Clovis Community, we have tools to help you prepare.
Our free mobile app, MyHealthMate, is powered by MyChart and allows you to access your health information plus navigate our online health system and services — all in one convenient place.
By using MyHealthMate, you can access a customized pregnancy tracker, weekly facts about baby’s growth, related articles and other tools such as:
- Kick counter
- Hospital packing list
- Contraction timer
- Diaper and feeding log
During your hospital stay, MyHealthMate will also allow you to view medications, lab results, and even names and photos of your care team. Learn more and sign up today.
YoMingo® Provides Education from Pregnancy through the First Year
Another free, online support tool we recommend using is YoMingo®. This extensive tool helps you stay organized during and after your pregnancy.
YoMingo® includes educational content on a wide variety of topics intended to help guide you through pregnancy, labor and birth, postpartum, breastfeeding and newborn care — all in multiple languages! Plus, you can make use of fun and helpful tools such as:
- Weekly milestones
- Kick counter
- Packing list
- Contraction timer
- Feeding log
- Diaper log
- Measurements
- Appointments calendar
- Immunization log
- Journal
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