Parents, doulas frustrated over restrictions on support people in delivery rooms

When Anita Helle became unexpectedly pregnant at the age of 41 with her fourth child, she knew she wanted some extra support.

Although she and her husband, Scott, are experienced parents, they hired a doula for the first time.

"I'm a high-risk pregnancy because of my age, because I have gestational diabetes, and I have high blood pressure. So it's been complicated," Helle said.

But new COVID-19 restrictions in almost all Nova Scotia hospitals means Helle has to choose between having her doula or her husband in the delivery room.

In a decision announced Sunday, Nova Scotia's health authority reduced the number of support people someone in labour can have from two down to one. The rules are in place for at least the next two weeks.

The IWK Health Health Centre in Halifax, which operates outside of the health authority, is still allowing two. That's in contrast to the restrictions the hospital had in place during the first wave of the pandemic, when the IWK went down to one, like the rest of the province's hospitals.

The province's doulas are frustrated by the health authority's move and are looking for an exemption to the current rules.

"We're not just another family member or friend," said Amber Tapley, the director of liaison with the Nova Scotia Doula Association and a doula in Sydney.

"We're people who are trained and are doing our utmost to stay safe right now so we can support the families we've built relationships with."

Doulas are birth professionals who provide emotional and physical support during labour. They often provide postpartum support as well.

Tapley is Helle's doula. Tapley said her clients are stressed about the new rules, at a time when many are already anxious about the pandemic.

"Even in ideal times when we're not living in a pandemic, we still don't necessarily have adequate support for parents in the early postpartum days, so it's scary to think about people having less access to support."

The doula association released a statement earlier this week, asking the health authority to exempt doulas from the rule on support people. This is the second time they've asked the province to look at an exemption during the pandemic.

The association also highlighted the difference in policies between the health authority and the IWK Health Centre.

A spokesperson for the IWK said the space in the hospital's individual birthing rooms is large enough space for two support people and physical distancing.

A health authority spokesperson said their restrictions are different from the IWK because their hospitals have different space available, like private rooms, and the volume of patients and visitors differ.

"We need to minimize the chances of unknowingly introducing COVID-19 into our facilities as case numbers increase throughout the province," Carla Adams said in an email.

Hopeful for change

Despite the changes, Tapley is hopeful the discussions around doulas happening during the pandemic will help shed some light on what they do.

"I am grateful the pandemic has highlighted that we need to have these conversations and kind of figure these things out," she said.

"I hope that we do come out of this with a plan that ... just gives us a more clear place in society and in the professional and public health realm."

Hapley said the association is in the early stages of talks with Public Health to discuss a plan for their members to operate safely during the pandemic, similar to what other industries have done.

In the meantime, Helle is set to be induced in a few days and has decided to have her husband in the room for support.

But she and her husband have written letters to the province, looking to have the rules changed for the sake of other parents.

"We have a bit of an advantage, we've done this three other times, but somebody who who is maybe doing this for the first time or this is their first child, having that person being a doula or being your mom, not being able there because you're going to have your spouse there is so scary," she said.

"I hope they find a voice and reach out and ask for the same thing."

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