Do I Really Want a Doula?

You may ask yourself, "why would I want to hire someone I don’t even know to attend my birth?"

If you’re birthing in a hospital, you will be assigned a nurse when you arrive who will be taking care of you and several other laboring people. Your nurse will be in and out of your room and other nurses will take over during their breaks and at their shift change. Your OB or Midwife will probably come into the room closer to the time of delivery and may or may not stay in the room until the end of your pushing phase. You will be checked throughout your stay at the hospital by various residents and possibly observed by the hospital’s medical students. All of these people will likely be people you’ve never met before.

A doula is a birth professional that you will know, and who will be with you for the entirety of your birth. Your doula will be the one professional who is completely familiar with you, your partner, your birth plan.  They will be the only professional who is there for YOU and ONLY YOU.

At your home your doula can help you to labor safely and calmly, helping you and your partner manage labor sensations, use controlled breathing techniques, and guide you through your home laboring journey before you move to your place of birth, if delivering outside of your home.

Your doula will answer your questions and explain things when you feel overwhelmed or are unsure what the medical staff is suggesting.

Your doula is available should your partner need to rest, shower, eat, or leave the hospital for any reason.

If you’re birthing at a hospital or birth center, there’s a good chance that you’ll be doing the majority of your laboring at home. Your doula is the professional that can be there with you to help you get your labor going, help you navigate challenges, manage labor sensations, and offer guidance.

If you’re birthing at home, your doula will labor with you in the same way as stated above, help you prepare your space, and gently guide you through your home birth journey prior to and after your midwife arrives.

In the interview, two prenatal visits, and phone interactions throughout your pregnancy, you will get the chance to know your doula and they to know you. They will not be a stranger on the day of your birth, but rather an ally and friend.