I teach birth classes. I'm not a doula. I freaking LOVE doulas, and I love the doulas that support my students. So for World Doula Week I have 7 reasons why I appreciate my students' doulas, a reason for every day. Please feel free to share why you loved your doula!

Doulas back me up
It's nice to know that someone else is also giving my students information that will support them having a normal birth. When I share the benefits of upright birth or the possible drawbacks of heading to your birth place in early labor... it definitely helps to have a doula sharing the same information. We might not all teach the exact same thing, but the doulas I know all believe that birth is normal, and mom can do it... and that means something to me.

Doulas add a different perspective
Two people can share the same information and for some reason one delivery might stick with you. Maybe the way I described vocalizations just didn't click with you, but the way your doula shared the information did. Or maybe when I was talking about positions to alleviate back labor you were daydreaming about nachos. We've all been there. You are in my class for 25 hours, you wont connect with or remember everything I say, and I'm ok with that. Fortunately your doula is there to fill in those gaps.

Doulas have first hand experiences
I have not attended dozens or hundreds of births the way a doula has. What I teach is important. A doula cannot provide the level of in depth education that my students are getting in class, but it can be really nice to have a doula to share what she has experienced in your birth place or with your provider. She knows where the ice packs are kept, which nurses are going to be most supportive, and how to get you unhooked from the monitors when you need to pee.

Doulas help you decide when head to your birth place
Though we cover this topic in class, when you are in active labor, your focus will be on labor. You probably wont remember how far apart contractions should be and you might not notice that the sounds you are making are getting louder and deeper and it's time to head out. Or maybe, even though you planned to stay home to postpone hospital interventions, those first twinges are making you nervous and without someone there to tell you that you are ok and everything is normal, you may head to your birth place too soon. A doula's expertise at that time can be invaluable. A chipper "Hey, we are headed to the hospital! Yay!" post from mom on social media always makes me nervous. I appreciate knowing a doula will help you head to your birth place at a time that supports your desired birth experience.

Doulas are there when shit gets real
At some point in labor you are probably going to look up at whoever is next to you and say "I can't do this," or at least think it. I've done it at each of my 4 births. So when that moment comes for my students, I always hope that the person they are looking at says, "you did an amazing job with that contraction, you ARE doing this," and not "want me to get the anesthesiologist?" If mom is looking at her partner, he might be able to say "you are doing great" but he doesn't have the credibility that a doula has. A doula knows what "doing great" looks like and what "we might need to change things up" looks like. Moms figure this out in labor. I wont be there to remind you that you've got this, but I can breathe easy knowing your doula will.

Doulas provide real time information
In the midst of contractions and concern for your baby you might be struggling to remember the pros and cons of cytotec vs pitocin that you learned in class. Your doula is there to remind you of that information so that you can make the right decision for you... and hopefully she will also remind you about nipple stimulation and encourage you to squat through some contractions to maybe kick things up without medications.

Doulas involve the partner
Sometimes in class partners are all "I've so got this birth thing!" and then at the birth they are all "oh shit." Even the most enthusiastic partner might freeze on birthing day, and that's ok! Having a doula means she will help make your partner feel comfortable and get him involved in ways he expressed he would like to be at your prenatal appointments with her. Your nurse has not met your partner (or you) and might not know that frozen in the hospital corner was not what he envisioned for the birth, and he just needs a little encouragement.

Doulas provide gentler breastfeeding support
The breastfeeding support mothers receive in hospitals is sometimes not patient, or gentle, and is not always accurate. Moms sometimes contact me after a hospital birth overly worried about proper latches, positions, supply, schedules and ready to give up on breastfeeding altogether... and I wish that their nurse had spent more time building mom's confidence and less time covering the cross cradle hold (seriously, who cares what it's called). Just as a doula may trust normal birth more than a medical professional, she probably trusts your ability to breastfeed more also. Many of the doulas in my area have received more training in lactation support than your average nurse. So while you will be set up for breastfeeding success when you finish my class, I still hope you will have gentle, knowledgeable support right there the first time your breastfeed.

After completing 10 weeks of childbirth education together, I am confident that my students' have all the information they need to have an amazing birth. However, even as an experienced childbirth educator, I had doulas at my 3rd and 4th births, I should have had a doula at my 1st and 2nd, and I will hire a doula for my 5th. Just having information is not enough. The environment you put yourself in and the team you surround yourself with is just as important. So this is my thank you to the doulas in my community who support Monterey county women. You are the best, thank you for the sacrifices you make, and you make this anxious educator a little less anxious.

Thank you <3

Brittany Randolph
Christine Benetua
Czarina Bowers
Danielle Rodhouse
Diana Narva
Elisa Havens-Stokes
Jacqueline Little
Joanna Bull
Julie Lefmann
Kelly Prieto
Lily Owens
Melissa Stotts
Michele Nizza
the Monterey Doula doulas
Nora Yerena
Sarah McCabe

And on what doulas do.

Sometimes (lots and lots and lots of times) I hear couples say "I don't think we need a doula." If you've said this to me, this post is not about you specifically. This happens a lot. Imagine I am a dentist writing about that one time I found a cavity. That's how often I hear "I don't need a doula."

Let's explore some reasons couples don't think they need a doula, and why they still do.

"I don't need a doula, I'm taking a birth class."
I am so glad you are taking a birth class! It is essential that you and your partner prepare for your natural birth with nutrition, education, and relaxation. When you leave my class you will have everything you need to have an amazing birth... including my recommendation to hire a doula. Yep. That's part of it! Can you have a positive natural birth without a doula? Sure, but a doula can make the whole experience easier and more enjoyable. Ten hours into labor your excitement may have faded, the details of your birth class may become fuzzy, and you and your partner may feel lost. Your doula's knowledge will not become fuzzy and she, as an expert in natural birth, will help guide and comfort you. Your class is your map, your doula is your compass. You need both.

And if you think you can skip the class and hire the doula, read this.

"My husband will be my doula."
Your husband shouldn't be your doula anymore than he should be your midwife or obstetrician. Your husband should be your husband. He should love and comfort you the way he knows how and with the tools he learned in class. But there are skills he will not have. Do you have any idea what this doula is doing? Does your husband?

Maybe you are thinking "I don't want a woman I've only met a few times doing that." You may be thinking that now, but when she does that and all of a sudden your contractions are 100% more manageable not only will you be ok with her doing it but you will be begging "do that thing do that thing dothatthing!" at the start of a contraction. Actually... that probably won't happen, because she will just do it before you even have to ask because she knows exactly what a woman starting a contraction looks like since she does this all. the. time.

Your husband doesn't know how to do that thing. He doesn't know how to do a lot of birth things because he doesn't work with laboring women. This is a doula's job, she helps laboring moms (and dads!) feel better physically and emotionally. How are you going to say no to that?

Notice in the picture that the doula is working on physically comforting mom while dad is loving and encouraging her. Mom and dad are still deeply connected, the doula supports that connection and does not interfere with it. Without this doula mom may be so uncomfortable that she and her partner would not be able to enjoy these tender moments. And if dad was the one using the rebozo (that's the fabric the doula is doing that thing with), then who would be in mom's ear loving her?

"We are having a home birth, my midwife will be my doula."
Your midwife probably won't be your doula. A midwife is there to intervene if a complication arises and to monitor you and baby. Your midwife is a wonderfully skilled lifeguard. Her job is not to provide emotional and physical comfort for a woman laboring normally*, it's to help you birth your baby safely. A home birth couple will still have to labor and still deserves the support of a doula.

*Some midwives work in teams and one midwife, maybe an assistant midwife acts as a doula. Ask. Just because you have two midwives doesn't mean one will be your doula. 

"It would be weird to have someone other than my husband at the birth."
Historically women have always comforted women in labor. It is actually weird to not have a woman knowledgeable in natural birth present to comfort mom and provide guidance. Up until birth moved to the hospital and support women were left in the halls, women were comforted by women... and it worked! You know what doesn't work? Leaving mom and dad in a sterile hospital room alone with no support. Tired and discouraged in a foreign environment, those couples often watch their natural birth slip through their fingers.

A doula will be someone that you will get to know over the last months of your pregnancy. She will not be a stranger, she will be a friend. In contrast, there may be 2-3 nurses and 1-2 doctors that you have never met at your birth... and guess how many of them are going to rub your back? Probably none of them because they have their jobs. Of the many people that will be in the room, make sure one of them is a doula.

"Baby is low, I'll probably have a really fast labor, we won't need a doula."
In class we talk about 5 hour labors and 25 hour labors and I know a lot of couples think they'll get the 5 hour labor. Well... maybe... but realistically you will fall somewhere in between. I want to see my couples filled with confidence and excitement, but not to the point that they under prepare. In my last class three couples labored for more than 40 hours! Guess how many of them thought they would labor for 40 hours? Dads are you ready to support moms for 40 hours? Have you ever done anything for 40 hours? A doula has, she will help you.

"We can't afford a doula."
I compare a birth to a wedding day often. How much time and money did you invest in that one day? When it comes to the birth of a child there seems to be a disconnect between the importance of the event and a willingness to invest financially in it. Couples decide to forego the home birth they desire because the insurance will not cover it, or choose an unsupportive hospital because they will have to pay less out of pocket. Well... how much more important is the birth of your child than your wedding day? I don't know your finances, but if it meant having the natural birth that I desire and a better Birth Day for mom, dad, and baby, then I would start selling things to make that happen.

My first birth cost over $30,000... double what my natural hospital birth cost. Yes we had insurance, but we still had to pay a percentage. A doula could have saved us a lot of money, and we could have had a better birth!

Some doulas charge using a sliding scale and give military discounts. Some insurance plans cover doulas. This friend had to choose between taking a vacation that year and a doula. She chose a doula and had her first natural birth after 3 medicated ones. You have options, get creative... if this is your first natural birth you really can't afford to not have a doula.

Will a doula ensure you will have a perfect birth. No. Can you still have an amazing birth without one, absolutely. You still deserve a doula. You may only give birth a few times in your life, these are special days that you will remember forever. I know many couples who have realized that they should have hired a doula, my husband and I are one of them. If you are still hesitant, do a little more research, you don't have to commit to anything. Check out yelp reviews of local doulas, browse your birth network listings, ask your care provider or childbirth educator for referrals. Interview a few doulas or attend a Meet the Doula event, you might be surprised how quickly you click with one.