This I Believe

Several times a year, I put my life on hold. I don’t leave town, I don’t have a glass of wine with dinner, and I always have my cell phone handy. Every night, I’ll evaluate my energy level and often go to bed early. I do these things because I know that at any time, I could be called away from my family, to act as guide and companion to another woman as she gives birth to her child.

I am a birth doula. I provide continuous emotional, informational and physical support to women before, during and right after childbirth. So every once in a while, in addition to being the mother of 2 young children, a wife and manager of a hospital-based doula program, I contract with couples to provide support during the birth of their baby.

I do this because I believe that Birth Matters. I believe that during childbirth, women deserve to be supported by an informed and independent person who will respect and honor her voice during labor. Someone to suggest coping techniques and explain common procedures, to help her with the decision making process when, as often happens, her care provider suggests non-emergency interventions that interfere with the normal birth process. Someone to tell her she’s doing a good job, that I’m proud of her and that she should be proud of herself. Doing these things supports my belief that by improving the birth experiences of women and babies, we are creating a gentler, more compassionate world. Peace on Earth begins with peace at birth.

Women who hire doulas get this, they understand that labor is as much an emotional journey as a physical one and that having a doula can help them transform themselves into confident mothers and strong women. Like me, they believe that it matters how babies are born into this world. And we’ve got science on our side, having a doula really does lead to improved outcomes for mothers and babies.

Other people consider mine a redundant position in the birthing room. They ask me why the nurse can’t do my job when the reality is that most women labor without a nurse present until the last few hours before their baby’s birth. Aside from the limitations of managed care, the fact is that as a doula, I am the expert at labor support, as the nurse is the expert in her field. Our roles are unique and independent, though we usually work together in harmony.

Before I was a mother myself, I was the doula for many women. Often, there would come a moment in my client’s labor when she would look at me with a gaze that I have come to recognize as that of a fearful child looking to her mother, seeking reassurance from the woman she trusts, who’s love and support is unconditional. As a doula, I happily put my own life on hold to mother these mothers because I believe that Birth Matters.