Doesn’t A Doula Make the Hospital Room Crowded?

Recently I was talking with a friend about doula support (something I’m really excited about, in case you couldn’t tell), she said: ”wait, so that means a Doctor is in the room, nurses are there, the spouse, the woman in labor, AND a doula?!”

Well, sort of. Nurses and doctors often cannot be in the room for the entire labor process; they are outstanding medical providers and I love watching them in action. They have other patients to attend to, though, and crucial medical records to update, phone calls to field, emergency medical needs to attend to for others. 

Your partner should be there for you through the process, yes! They are such a vital part of your support. But sometimes the process is overwhelming to them; sometimes they are unsure about what is needed; sometimes they need to take a break to attend to the needs of others in your family like the baby’s siblings.

 A laboring woman does not get to take a break. Her body and her focus are involved with one thing: giving birth. And that process is constant and absorbing. A doula is there for her, not to crowd the room, but to create space for the woman to feel as comfortable as possible in the process. A doula does not need to rotate between women: she attends *one* woman and is there for almost every moment ~ supporting without judgement, listening, finding ways to make you more comfortable, sharing the hard moments and the joy.

This relationship works. Study after study shows that women who receive doula support in labor have better outcomes and, just as important, they *feel* better about their births too. Doula support is about the whole experience, and this means we know when to step in and out of the circle of attendants at your birth, so that you always feel supported and never crowded. ❤️