The Purpose and Value of Labor Support

Liz Mullins CD(DONA)

Once upon a time the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” also applied to childbirth. A woman in labor may have had support from many sources. The village midwife, mothers and other family, and or neighbors would be with, or support, a woman in childbed. Wisdom and knowledge was shared with those present. Older daughters would benefit from being there, as one day she too would have children. Any woman in attendance would likely have the favor returned when it was her turn. These woman supporting each other was as normal as helping one another with the harvest, or raising a barn.

This is where the doula comes in. Doulas provide the emotional and physical support of ‘the village’. This support is a valuable service to those women who must labor in a not so natural environment...a hospital. In my opinion this is where doulas are not only needed most, but also where we can make the biggest difference on a woman’s birth experience. To have a woman who is knowledgeable and trusts in the normal physiological process is a service that should be available to every woman. Positions, a cool cloth, a warm embrace, encouraging words. These are all things that women would have provided years ago, and are just as important today.

Now here’s something that women back then did not have to deal with...doula’s also provide informational support and advocacy. Considering the ‘routine procedures’ and common ‘interventions’ of today, a pregnant woman needs to know not only what these are and how they are done, but also the benefits and risks associated with them. When a woman will likely be offered things such as labor induction, augmentation, pain medications etc., a doula can help the woman gather information regarding these, as well as remind her to ask questions when actually faced with labor. In this way a doula’s support will likely help a couple achieve their wishes and desires for this birth as well as help them to give truly informed consent or informed refusal . If a birth does not go as expected a doula can help the woman understand or accept these changes and find a new path through the labor journey.

Support, how can one word mean so many different things. To me, support is the best word to describe a doula. Can we put a monetary value on such a thing? As doulas we charge what we think our time is worth, but can we put a value on the passion and strength that must be present to choose such a career, the trust that we have in a woman’s body to birth her baby, and the wisdom that we share at such a pivotal time?

As doulas we know that childbirth can affect the perception a woman has of her body and the strength she possesses, and that this is an event that can empower a woman and reflect on her parenting and her relationships with her new family. Should the services a doula provides be recognized as important and valued by both families and medical professionals? Certainly. Are a doula’s heart and hands valuable to a laboring woman...no, they are priceless.