What Do Doulas Do?

We aren’t midwives or OBs. We don’t deliver babies. We do give emotional, educational, & physical support to birthing women and their families. We provide prenatal education, continuous in-person birth support, & postpartum care. According to the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, “one of the most effective tools to improve labor & delivery outcomes is the continuous presence of support personnel…” - doulas are this personnel!

In fact, in one randomized study 1 out of 4 (25%) first time-mothers without a doula had a c-section, while only 13.4% of doula-assisted women needed one. 100% of the women (and their partners) in the doula group said that having a doula there made a positive difference.

Courtney & Bethany - are trained through CAPPA and Childbirth International, respectfully. We are passionate about birth, about women feeling supported no matter how their baby is born, about listening to what people need & helping them find their own strength. Our combined backgrounds & expertise include in-depth research training, living overseas, VBAC support, lactation support, nutrition education, traumatic births, childbirth educator, birth assistant experience, baby-wearing, breastfeeding, and so much more!

… So who is Ada, then? And what gift?!

In 2008, while Nicole (Ada’s Gift founder) was completing her history degree at Purdue, she had the opportunity to research the journal of a young woman named Ada Casterline. You won't find her name in any history books; she’s buried in a quiet, falling-apart cemetery in Indiana without any great memorial. But her story matters so very much.

 Ada and her husband, Amos, moved from Indiana to Mississippi in 1858. As Nicole read her journal,she fell in love with Ada’s courageous heart, her delightful sense of humor, and with the way she cherished her loved ones. Ada passed away in 1859; Nicole graduated in 2009. Nicole was invited to apply for grad school & seriously considered it… she really did... but the more she thought about Ada, the more she realized she wanted to be with women like her today ~ and that she didn't just want to dwell in the past. Women today are strong, funny, loving, and brave... just like Ada... and we want to be supporting them today. Ada gave the gift of perspective, and it’s one to cherish.

(sources: ACOG’s statement here. Research study here.)