LOS ANGELES YOGA HISTORY

Some find yoga aids in drug-free childbirths

SAN MATEO IN THE SANCTUM of Jennifer Wolfe's living room, Tracy Stettner reaches both arms up and extends her right leg in Yoga's salutation pose. With her blond hair tied back and her expression serene, Stettner breathes deep and stretches.

Three and a half months pregnant, the Hillsborough resident is taking Wolfe's prenatal Yoga class. Stettner, a pre- and postnatal yoga instructor herself, is Wolfe's business partner.

Both are close to landing a professional space for their Yoga studio and doula center in San Mateo.

"We want women to be empowered, to ask the right questions during their pregnancy," Stettner said. "The goal is for them to be happy with the experience."

Neither woman had heard of doulas prior to their pregnancies. Stettner wished she had one help her during the birth of her first son, who is now 3 years old. "My childbirth experience was amazing, but things went on in the hospital I didn't know about," she said. "I was given medication frequently and I didn't know to ask the questions."

Unlike midwives, doulas do not physically deliver the baby. Doulas share spiritual, emotional and physical comfort before, during and after the birthing process.

While it's hard to determine how many doulas there are in San Mateo County, the demand for their service has spiked in recent years as more women are opting for natural births. They also work with women who have medicated births, but want to feel in control of the experience.

I can still remember the birth very clearly," said Helen Marlo, who hired Wolfe as a doula in 2004 and relied on hypnotherapy to stay focused. "The anxieties and concerns can rob one from the mysteries, the miracle and sacredness of the experience."

Monica Oestreich of Belmont also chose Wolfe as her doula.

"Whenever I was around her, I felt so relaxed," she said. "When you find someone who is going to take care of you, be there for you, especially for your first child, and you have no idea what the birth experience is going to be like, it's great to have someone be there specifically for you."

Wolfe has been a doula for six years and has helped in more than 125 births. Today, she shares her business, Dolphin Yoga & Doula Center, with Stettner and Tracey Green.

Stettner has lesser experience as a doula, with one year and 12 births under her belt. Last year, she took a three-day training course and was certified by the Doulas of North America, based in Indiana. She and Wolfe started working together six months ago.

Henry Hamilton, an obstetrician/gynecologist in San Mateo, has had many patients who use doulas.

He is awed that while many patients can be "deathly afraid of epidurals" and labor, they can forgo medication when they have a doula.

"I've seen it enough times," Hamilton said. "They don't take anything. Zip, zero, yow! My God, that must hurt."

That's because women know how to care for other women, Oestreich said.

"Women can provide for other women," she said. "That is not a detraction from men, but there's the woman connection and her understanding the process of what your body is going through. Men don't have babies."

A doula's life is unpredictable because they are on-call much of the time. Typically, a doula becomes involved during the second or third trimester. She educates a woman on how to tell pain from pressure and the pros and cons of C-sections and other interventions.

During labor, doulas help position the woman to keep her comfortable during contractions; hypnotherapy is often used to help women let go of their fear and anxiety related to labor.

"Your birth experience really shapes how you feel about yourself," Wolfe said. "The good experience makes you feel positive about your accomplishment. It's like surviving on a shipwrecked ship. It helps the mother realize they're strong."

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