Birth Doulas Supporting Birth Partners

If you're someone interested in hiring a doula, you may be concerned about how this might change the role your partner plays during your labor. If you're a partner reading this, maybe you're worried a doula might push you out of the picture. This is a really common anxiety I see come up during consultations with potential clients, so I thought it was worth discussing here!

A good doula knows that she is, by far, the least important person in the birthing room. Her job is to support the family being created in front of her. This means providing knowledge, confidence, and comfort to both the laboring parent and the partner(s) whenever they need it.

When a doula is giving it her all, the birthing partner should get the chance to feel even more present in the birthing experience. The doula can worry about the details (providing water, getting towels or a birthing ball, offers ideas of a new position to try, ect), giving the partner the space they need to focus on their love and the laboring experience heart-first.

When you look back on the memory of the birth, the doula will hopefully be remembered as someone who supported your experience as a team.