Elizabeth Sellinger works fulltime as the admissions officer at the Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital, but she wants to be able to do more.
Motivated by her experience during childbirth when her daughter was born, she has taken the opportunity to train to become a certified birth doula.
‘A doula provides emotional and physical support during labour and birth, but does not offer any clinical services,’ Mrs. Sellinger said.
During her daughter’s birth in the US, she did not have the benefit of a doula, which she regrets.
‘All of the things I’ve learned while training, none of them were done. I waited until the contractions were five minutes apart, and then went to the hospital. Everything was good.
‘Then, the next thing I knew, I was hooked to an IV and flat on my back,’ she said, adding that her labour pains were in her back, so her position was totally inappropriate.
”You give up your power when you enter the hospital,’ she said.
Making it better
Determined to make the experience better for other women, she has been training here to become a certified birth doula through DONA International, the top organisation in this field, according to Mrs. Sellinger.
Jacqui Smith, managing director at RVC Rehab Services at CTMH and a certified birth doula, along with a representative of DONA from the US, ran the course about a year ago in a lecture room at Cayman Islands Hospital.
More than 10 women took part, though all may not receive their certification. To date, there are two DONA-certified doulas on Grand Cayman, with another woman waiting for certification. Ms Smith is also working toward certification as a post-partum doula.
Rigorous process
The certification process is rigorous, Mrs. Sellinger explained.
‘You have to take a 16-hour, two-day course and do required reading. Then you have to take part in at least three births.
‘After each birth, you have to be evaluated by the client, the nurses and the ob/gyn. Then you have to write a 500-700 word account of each birth. After that, you need to write an essay on the purpose and value of labour support,’ she said.
Once those parts are completed, all of the relevant material is sent off to DONA for review and then certification.
Although Mrs. Sellinger has already participated in four births, including a caesarean section, these were not officially evaluated, so she needs to complete that part of the program.
‘In one instance, a woman had her husband there and it wasn’t her first birth. But, she was from another country and was used to having her mother there.
‘I’d only gone in to talk to her about billing and wound up staying five hours – still in my heels – to coach her through the labour.
‘Every time I started to leave, she’d grab me and say, ‘No, no you can’t leave,” Mrs. Sellinger said.
Her training was instrumental in helping the woman. A doula learns how to keep the patient calm, she explained.
‘You tone everything down and keep your voice at a slow, reasonable level. It’s amazing how quickly someone can calm down,’ she said.
In addition, a doula provides physical support including massage, acupressure and walking with the patient. She also will suggest more comfortable positions and be available to answer any questions.
‘If a woman is in labour and is having a difficult time, the nurse will approach me to talk to her.
‘And, one of the things the nurses can call me in for is to give basic information and support. It is amazing the difference it can make to a woman.
‘It’s a very rewarding feeling to know you’ve been a positive influence on someone and been supportive,’ she said.
Both hospitals in Grand Cayman are accommodating doulas, she added.
‘So many people are transplanted here, away from home with no families, so it’s a great support,’ Mrs. Sellinger said.
She also cited the special rooms set up at CTMH for women in labour.
‘The labour, delivery and recovery are all done in the same room,’ she explained.
The beds can be adjusted to accommodate the patient’s needs and the stage of labour, she added.
Since she still needs to perform her duties as admissions officer, working as a doula requires a bit of juggling.
‘If I’m in with a patient and the hospital needs me for billing or whatever, if it’s quick I will take a few minutes or get back to the problem later.
‘If there is a long labour, I have one or two people who can back me up as far as administrative work is concerned.
‘The mom becomes your focus, that person is in need,’ she said.
The hospital has supported her efforts.
‘Dr. Tomlinson has been very accommodating. When I’m needed, I’m needed. Kind of like after Ivan – when you’re needed, you’re needed and you have to be able to give a hand,’ Mrs. Sellinger said.
Her previous work experience helped prepare her for her doula training.
‘I’ve been about 25 years in the medical field on and off,’ she explained.
Mrs. Sellinger was a certified nurse assistant in New Mexico, and then worked in a lab for four paediatricians. After that she was a medical lab technician in the US military and then a physician’s assistant in Florida.
‘After Ivan, I used my training to assist doctors at the hospital with their treatment of patients,’ she said.
Mrs. Sellinger has been at CTMH since its beginnings.
‘I even helped to plant grass and the hedges before the hospital officially opened,’ she said.
The irony is that she had not envisioned working where she does now.
‘I never wanted to work in a hospital, then I ended up here and the rest is history.
‘I enjoy interacting with patients. It can be rewarding. It can also be frustrating, but it can be very rewarding,’ she said.
And now she is working towards helping in another way. Mrs. Sellinger has two years from June 2005 to get certified.
Once she receives certification, she can charge for her services as a doula, but earning money from that qualification is not her driving force.
‘Being a doula is not about the money. It’s because you love doing it,’ she said.
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