Doulas DO: - Provide emotional support, physical comfort, and unbiased information as requested
- Support families in a non-judgmental way
- Support ALL types of births (induced labors, spontaneous labors, planned cesareans, unplanned cesareans, vaginal birth without medication, and vaginal birth with medication)
- Support any choices the parents make
- Provide suggestions for comfort and progress
- Help the woman’s birth partner use those suggestions
- Give the birth partner a break when needed
- Ensure the birth partner is comfortable and nourished
- Allow the birth partner space to participate at their comfort level
- Create a calm and comfortable environment
- Work with your nurse and doctor or midwife as a team
- Provide reassurance when things get intense
- Encourage the mother and partner to work together during the labor process
- Aim to build the relationship between mother and partner
- Respect the boundaries of her role
- Encourage you during the hardest parts of labor and birth
- Help you connect with your inner strength
- Instill confidence in your ability to birth and parent your baby
- Encourage you or your partner to advocate on your behalf
| Doulas DON’T: - Replace the role of your medical care provider
- Replace the role of your husband/partner
- Give medical advice
- Overstep boundaries between other members of your birth team
- Force women to do anything they don’t want to do
- Hold women hostage to their birth plan
- Attend home births unassisted by medical providers
- Foster distrust between a woman and her care provider
- Have an opinion on how you should birth or parent
- Monitor for medical conditions
- Perform medical procedures (examples: cervical checks, assess blood pressure, assess fetal heart tones)
- Only support “natural birth” (the term natural can mean several different things)
- Abandon birthing women if they choose to use medication
- Have a philosophy on how birth should be
- Speak to medical staff on your behalf
- Advocate for you
- Come to your birth space uninvited
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