Why a Doula?

Since the beginning of time women have helped other women give birth. Women would gather round one another and help to soothe the woman in labor to create a comfortable and safe environment where the mother could go through the throes of labor knowing she was surrounded by love and harmony. The laboring mother knew the final stage of her journey into motherhood would be a difficult one, but she also had faith in her body and the people supporting her through the final phase of pregnancy. 

Today, labor looks almost 100% different. Today, you are expected go to a brightly lit hospital with machines and needles and fluids and medicines completely foreign to your body and do the one thing your pregnant body was meant to do in an alien world so different from the comfort of your own home. Your support network? A doctor, who hopefully has your best interest at heart and isn't just thinking about their next tee-off time, or a midwife, who hopefully still remembers that the reason people choose midwives instead of doctors is for the experience described in the first paragraph and not the second.

But what if you could still have the comfort of your own home and compassion from a woman who is your labor advocate on top of the knowledge and science of a medical professional? What if you could have a liaison from the ancient art of labor to the scientific world of birth? Would this not be ideal?

As I have expressed before, I want to have a natural un-medicated birth. Study after study shows the negative effects of medications and pain relievers (including epidurals) during labor and delivery on the child and mother. Don't believe me? Research it yourself! The studies will shock you. Many women think about having an un-medicated birth, even plan on it, but few succeed because they do not have the right support system. It's like saying, "I want to be a gold medal gymnast" and then not having a coach to help you train! How absurd, right?

And that is why I have hired a doula. I have hired my personal trainer and coach for labor. She will help me labor at home for as long as possible and then support me in the delivery room by acting as a liaison between the medical staff and my birth plan. She is an experienced woman in the art of labor. She is the one who says, "Alright, Steph! Let's go for a walk and get that baby lined up and ready to come out!" She is the one who says, "Alright, Steph! Let's getcha in a hot tub to relax that back!" She is the one who encourages with, "I know, Steph. It's not easy, but you are doing so well! Try breathing like this between contractions." She is what your midwife was intended to be. She does what the women of ancient times did to help each other during nature's most violent and natural of all occurrences. She is a doula. And though she is not a medical professional, she provides more care and comfort than any doctor or nurse or pain reliever ever could. 

I feel confident in my decision and plan for the birth of my son, Christian. I pray that I have a normal labor with no complications. And I hope that my son and husband will appreciate the selfless choice that I have made.