• share resources & information pertaining to you
• help you formulate your unique Birth Plan
• assist with questions you may not feel comfortable immediately asking your care provider
• make referrals to local pregnancy-related resources as needed
• connect personally with you as a comrade through this journey
• visit with you during a scheduled prenatal meeting
• remain on-call 24/7 from 38 weeks of pregnancy onward

Physical Support

• provide comfort with pain-management techniques of your preference (massage, counter-pressure, etc)
• assist with water therapy
• apply hot/cold sensations
• ensure you are nourished by giving food & drink
• maintain the birth environment
• birth pool set-up/clean up

Emotional Support

• reassurance
• praise
• company
• encouragement
• mirroring
• help you keep perspective
• …and work through fears & doubts

Informational Support

• give early labor support via phone
• give reminders to eat & use the bathroom
• time contractions if desired
• explain medical procedures & options (not medical advice)
• suggest beneficial laboring positions (important even with an epidural)
• …movement ideas
• …breathing & relaxation

Partner Support

• assist partner by giving them a break without leaving you unsupported
• help partner interpret labor progress
• take non-professional photos as situation allows

Advocacy

• support without judgment
• hold space; your agenda is my agenda!
• facilitate communication between parents & birth team
• amplify your voice if it isn’t being fairly recognized
• empower you to ask questions & verbalize your position
• serve as a witness, providing peace of mind
• stay aware of intended procedures so parents have opportunity to give informed consent

• assist with beginning breastfeeding, if needed
• help explain birth place procedures
• help you get settled in your recovery room, if at the hospital
• visit with you during a scheduled postpartum meeting
• debrief the birth experience with empathy
• discuss risk factors and/or any concerning symptoms of postpartum mood disorders (100% shame-free; I’ve been there myself)

For Postpartum Doula support that extends beyond the scope of my Birth Doula engagements, click here.

• perform clinical tasks (vaginal exams, fetal heart monitoring, etc.)
• give medical advice or make diagnoses/prescriptions
• make decisions for you
• speak to birth staff on your behalf
• impose personal preferences upon you
• usurp the role of your partner (if applicable)
• attend intentional free-birth (planned unassisted)
• predict or guarantee any aspects of your birth
• bear responsibility for your birth’s outcome
• drive you (client) to the birth location
• catch your baby

As a doula, I do not provide medical care and cannot take the place of a midwife, obstetrician, or other clinical worker at a birth. However, I’m knowledgeable about an expansive number of medical aspects that may arise in childbirth, giving you a better shot at making informed decisions.