A professional labor support companion (“doula”) is a woman who remains with you and your partner during labor and birth, and is trained to provide continuous emotional and physical support during active labor as needed: massage, help with birthing positions, natural ways of helping labor progress, a calm and reassuring presence, advocacy for your wishes in the hospital setting, help with decisions, initial breast feeding guidance, and more. She does not have an “agenda” for your birth. She is there to accompany you on your journey, assisting in the unforeseeable ways that will best empower YOU as an individual and as a couple. She is not a replacement for your partner, rather she is an experienced, reassuring presence for both of you.

Doesn't this make my husband feel inadequate or not good enough to help me through labor? Won't having another person there detract from our intimacy? What if she “takes over”?

Throughout history women have always attended other women during birth. When husbands are expected to anticipate and fulfill their partner's intense needs throughout labor, they may feel anxious and/or overwhelmed. Most fathers are immensely relieved to have an experienced support person with them. One father said “It was like I had been given a map [in class] of Laborland, but once Kathy was there, I realized that I'd never been there. The doula had been there - she knew the language and the way.”

Studies show that couples feel an increase in intimacy when the pressure on the father is removed and he is free to experience the birth of his child. A good doula is sensitive to the couples' relationship and understands that her role is to empower rather than to take charge.

How can I trust a stranger? I don't want a stranger at my birth.

When you meet and talk to several doulas, you will hopefully find someone with whom you feel comfortable. True, you don't have long history between you, but in labor it is very normal for women to let down their guard and easily rely on others who are there for them.

How do the hospitals view this?

Nurses are generally very grateful for the continuous support to laboring women that they no longer have the time or resources to offer. As long as they do not feel threatened or challenged, hospital staff are positive toward the added presence. Mutual respect is key.

What if I want pain medication?

Supported Birth doulas are objective and nonjudgmental about how labor unfolds. She is there to empower you in the conscious choices you may need to make. This is your personal journey, and whatever you choose is right for you.

Women say:

“My doula was more helpful than I could ever have imagined. Although you cannot plan a birth, you can try to prepare for it in the best possible way: we chose a good hospital, a good doctor and a good “doula.” I knew that my husband was going to be there for me, but nothing would have replaced the expert help of our doula. She knew what to do and when to do it. From the moment she walked into the Labor and Delivery Room, the whole environment changed. She dimmed the lights, lit the aromatherapy, and put on some music, little things that made me feel ‘at home.' During the hard labor, she suggested several different positions we had learned in class, and she was consistently encouraging and supportive. I found it very useful to walk around, take a warm shower, and swing in the rocking chair. She also got along very well with the hospital staff, and they felt the same way about her. She was a wise mediator; she knew when to help and when to step aside and let the doctor do his/her work. I must say that her presence was essential. She supported me during labor in so many different and effective ways, allowing my husband to concentrate on what helped me most: love his wife.”

“How can I possibly thank you enough for all that you have done for me? You were there beforehand to gently guide and teach us about childbirth and what to expect, you were there to reassure us that my body could do it, you were there to tell us when it was time to go to the hospital, and you were there to hold my hand and be my strength when I needed it the most, as I gave birth to our daughter. You were there for me after to help my baby latch onto my breast, you were there to comfort my fears when I was bleeding, you were there to help me to the bathroom. You were there not as a doula but as a sister and friend. All of your calls and all of the support you have offered to me as a follow-up to the birth have truly been amazing. “