Doulas and Birth Tools, part 2

By Sarah Newton, Certified Doula from Richmond, Virginia 

The CUB Comfortable Upright Birth is an amazing tool for birth professionals, and is now being offered within the United States. As a Doula for over 7 years, I am always looking for good tools for my birthing bag. Ones that are really effective and are small enough to carry with me into a birth. The CUB definitely fits into this category.
It has the capacity to replace 3-4 other tools, which makes it an excellent tool for birth doulas to take with them.  I am looking forward to using this, and testing its ability to help my clients.
I have read up on some of the statistics for birthing upright. It’s pretty awesome that birthing in an upright position can encourage these kind of birth statistics. Including the following:

• Allows for 28-30% more space in the pelvis
• Contractions can be more effective in an upright position
• 23% less likely to require medical intervention
• Baby is 54% less likely to become distressed
• 29% reduction in c-section rates
• Shorter lengths of labor
• 21% reduction in episiotomy rates
• Less need for an epidural

The CUB can give you more stability with it being stationary, so I can imagine that the mother would feel safer on it. The safer a woman feels when in labor, the easier it is for the body to relax. And a relaxed body allows those contractions to work more efficiently at opening the cervix and bringing that baby down.
Whatever I need to do as a doula to help create a good environment to labor in, good coping skills, position changes, and support, I do it. For me, I definitely have to think about what I teach, what skills I bring, and the tools as well. A fully stocked doula bag is worth its weight in gold. Sometimes you never use anything in your doula bag, other times you use EVERY single item from it. That being said, make sure you have good things in your bag!

Variety

The CUB allows you to use a variety of positions to labor in all while being supported, allowing you to sit on it alone, or even with the presence of a partner. It has the ability to help a laboring woman with an epidural get into a good position as well, to utilize gravity the best. You can squat with it as well, but still have something to lean on. On all fours is an excellent position, as well as on one knee. It also can mimic sitting on a toilet, which is a common place for homebirthing mothers to labor.
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It has the added benefit of being used during pregnancy for comfort, and helping with position of baby. This is above and beyond its benefits during labor. The use of one item having so many benefits all wrapped up together is phenomenal. I am beyond excited to utilize the CUB when it arrives and I can put it into practice with my doula clients. There are no negatives to the use of such a tool!

You can also read this blog here 

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