Doulas are a specific and unique tool for all families. Different from your care provider, we are not here to offer medical support. Your doula though can literally do everything else! All doulas are different, some only offering labor support, and others focused on postpartum. Our Doulas offer full spectrum support. Even as soon as fertility and conception. Doulas help guide you through the whole process while reminding you that this is your own autonomous birth. We offer hospital and out-of-hospital labor support. While we can be an incredible guide and can help with pain management, decision-making, labor techniques, and much more. We serve a different role than a therapist, partner, or friend. Contact us to learn more.

Technically, anyone can serve a role as doula even if they are not trained or certified. However, the short answer is no. Your partner serves a very important role in your birth and may have their own needs as well. Having a doula that can be supportive to your family and has experience in bringing the birth team together is such a gift! We also highly recommend having a supportive person that works only for you, and not the hospital or care provider. A support person that is not directly tied to the outcome of your experience, and does not work for the hospital or your care provider.

Doula support is incredibly fluid. It is not rigid or linear and support may change from client to client as well as the skills and offerings by each doula. Doulas DO focus on evidence-based care, physical, emotional, and informational support. They DO NOT offer medical advice, or other specialty care unless they also hold that credential and it is specifically stated that they do. Doulas do not replace your care provider (midwife or doctor). Doulas do not make decisions for you or on your behalf. Doulas do not guarantee birth outcomes. Statistically doulas do reduce the needs for interventions, long labors, and cesarean births. Doulas statistically also shorten recovery times and lead to better birth and postpartum outcomes. “If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use one.”

No way! Doulas are actually incredibly important for hospital births. And yes even if you plan to use an epidural. While the epidural is a tool, they sometimes fail and don’t always work the way we would think. Birth is about so much more than just pain management. Birth is unpredictable, and it’s so important to have the right support in place for every scenario. Doula’s are typically (especially in longer labors) but in all birth, are the ones consistently supporting you. In hospitals the staff come and go, with the doctor coming in for short periods and to catch. As things inevitably come up you’ll want the continuity of care. Our doulas are specifically trained to support out-of-hospital birth and make birth centers and hospitals a more comfortable experience.

Listen to your heart and gut instinct and you’ll know. To learn more visit our sister website www.theroguedoula.com or contact us today!