Labor Companions

During your labor, the doula remains with you continuously. She will offer suggestions about different positions which encourage the progress of labor. She can provide comfort measures such as massage, the use of hot and cold packs, and counterpressure. She remains a source of information for decision-making, and offers guidance and reassurance to your partner and family members in each stage of labor. She can also assist you in determining the optimum time to call your homebirth provider or leave for the birth center or hospital. Most importantly, the doula knows when to step back and allow you to tap into your own strength, intuition, and power during birth.

The Partner's Role
One of the most common concerns families express when considering hiring a doula is whether or not the doula will take over the partner's role in the birth process. In fact, research in this area indicates that the presence of a doula during labor actually increases the physical support and affection shown by the partner. The role of the doula is to provide not only comfort and information to the mother, but also to demonstrate effective techniques that can be used by the partner during each stage of labor, to offer reassurance about the normal progress of labor, and to allow the partner the freedom to simply be with the mother and love her without any pressure to 'coach' her or relieve her pain.