Teen Doula Forges Special Relationship with Young Moms

Allie Sakowicz already knew a lot about the birth process when she first learned about doulas. She had watched television shows about giving birth, read about the process and even witnessed a baby being born in person. She had long since decided that she wanted to be an .

But when learned what a doula was – and that it was something that she could do, even before going to college – she went for it.

Unlike a doctor or nurse, a doula does not make medical decisions or recommendations. What she does do is help the mother, offering emotional support and physical comfort, whether by massaging aching muscles or suggesting positions that will help labor progress or keep the mother more comfortable. She helps the mother understand what is going on in the labor room so she can make more informed decisions about her care.

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Because Sakowicz, 17, works with teenage moms, she also helps make sure their voices get heard in the delivery room.

Sakowicz is a certified birth doula with credentials from DONA International, which certifies the most doulas of any organization in the United States. DONA has more than 7,000 certified birth and postpartum doulas; because many doulas are certified by more than one organization and because they are not regulated by the government, it’s difficult to pin down exactly how many there are.

Birth doulas – as opposed to post-partum doulas – generally meet with women several times before they give birth, developing both a relationship and a birth plan. Then they are on call to attend the labor and birth, offering women support and assistance.

To become certified, she had to attend birth education classes, do copious amounts of reading and written work and attend several births as a doula-in-training. Doctors, nurses and the mothers involved then had to provide written evaluations of her work at those births.

Sakowicz specializes in working with teen moms, on a volunteer basis, because she can relate to them in an authentic way.

“As a teenager myself, I think it was a natural decision to come to.  I'm able to be both a friend and a doula to teen moms who may not have anyone else by their side during their pregnancy.  It's a very cool position to be in, as there aren't many doulas who are able to offer both of these things to patients.

There are fewer teenagers having babies than there once were; according to the Centers for Disease Conrol, the teen birth rate in the United States fell to 39.1 births per 1,000 girls ages 15-19 in 2009, the lowest rate in the seven decades that records have been kept. But there still are plenty of girls for Sakowicz to help. In 2009, 2,391 teenage girls gave birth in suburban Cook County.

“I love being able to have a professional relationship as well as a friendship with the moms I work with,” Sakowicz said.  “Though I am certified as a doula and try to always do whatever I can for the mom in that role, the fact that I'm a teenager helps me relate to them on a more personal level.”

Her  friend Maggie Miretzky, a Chicago-based birth and postpartum doula, said she thinks being a peer gives Sakowicz a big advantage in forging a relationship with teen moms.

“I remember being a teenager, and I didn’t always want to share everything with adults,” she said.

But a doula can be a better advocate when the mother is honest with her, Miretzky said. 

Doulas can help all kinds of women, not just teenagers, Miretzky said. Birth – especially the first time a woman goes through it – can be scary, and it helps to have someone who knows what’s going on there. Doctors most often are in the room only for the birth itself, and nurses are in and out, caring for other patients.

“It’s good if there is someone who can say, if you are having discomfort here, try this position because it might help,” Miretzky said.

Miretzky first met Sakowicz in a doula training session when Sakowicz was 15, and she was instantly impressed.

“Allie is amazing,” she said. “She has such a gift, to know what she wants to do so early in life. I would absolutely refer a client to her if I couldn’t be there.”

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