What does a Birth Doula actually do — and do you need one?

You found out you’re pregnant, and now it’s time to figure out what your plan is for your pregnancy and birth! 

Maybe you’re anxious about choosing the right care provider, you feel overwhelmed at the thought of giving birth, or you want to understand your options regarding your birth experience — you want to be prepared for labor and birth. A birth doula helps by guiding you through your options, educating you on pregnancy and birth, and preparing your mind and body. Birth doulas provide hands-on comfort techniques during labor, supporting you physically and emotionally the whole way through. 

As a birth doula in the San Antonio, TX area, it’s especially helpful when I can recommend my clients to care providers and resources I trust. A local doula is helpful because they can get to know you and point you to those who fit your needs.

Whether you’re an experienced or first-time mom, you’ll learn about what to expect from a birth doula and how they help you in your pregnancy and birth journey. 

So, what is a birth doula?

A birth doula is a non-medical professional who believes in women’s natural ability to give birth by providing physical, emotional, and informational support before, during and after birth. In Greek, doula actually means “female servant”. Birth doulas offer practical help and guidance to families, helping them through labor and birth.

Doulas never perform medical tasks. However, studies show that when having a doula, there is a decrease in cesarean rates, less use of pain medication, shorter labor times, increased breastfeeding success, and an overall better experience for the mother and baby. 

A doula is trained in understanding physiologic labor and how to help with its progression. Often outside of the conventional norm, they offer guidance in how to move with labor and offer comfort techniques. They walk you through labor, one step and one contraction at a time. Think of it almost like a birth coach, but one that is not trying to control labor.

Doulas are there to listen to your wants and needs and advocate for your wishes during labor, birth, and immediate postpartum. 

What a birth doula does BEFORE labor

  Prenatal visits are the primary way a doula helps you during pregnancy. Typically a doula has a plan of what they go over for each visit, and they love to listen to your thoughts and feelings in the process. Often the content that they go over with you could include nutrition for pregnancy, exercises based on your needs, and teaching on breathing techniques. They could offer simple or comprehensive birth prep ideas depending on their skillset. This often includes physically and mentally preparing you for birth. As much as you can prepare your body, it is just as important to prepare your mind! As a doula, I love to use my training from Body Ready Method, which focuses deeply on body alignment and giving clients exercises based on their unique body. Whether that’s helping them become better aligned for a smoother labor, addressing pain, or helping you learn coping techniques, preparation will change your birth experience for the better. 

A doula also helps you create a birth plan so that you feel ready when the time comes. In this, they will go over common practices done by care providers (whether it’s an OB or Midwife) and educate you on pros and cons to your options. From inductions and pain medication, to the importance of skin-to-skin contact with your baby and immediate postpartum, all the known details are covered in a birth plan. They remind you that you have a voice and you have the final say in everything done to you before, during, and after birth. You make the decisions, and a doula helps you become confident in what you choose, empowering you for birth.

Also, birth doulas offer compassionate care for your emotional needs. Pregnancy and birth can be filled with many different thoughts and feelings. Whether you have specific fears or excitements, a doula wants to be there for you in all areas of how you’re doing. One of my favorite things to remind my clients of is how well their body was designed for birth (hence, my business name). I always want my clients walking away more confident in knowing their body and trusting the beautiful design of how their body and baby were made.  

What a birth doula does DURING & AFTER labor

This is where all the action takes place. You’ve prepared your mind and body, you have a birth plan, and now you think labor is here! One thing a doula helps you understand is guiding you through true and false labor. There can be a lot of uncertainty around when you should go to the hospital or call the midwife, and a doula can help walk you through it. Often, a birth doula is with you before you are with your care provider. They can show you positions to help facilitate labor progress or give you guidance on what would be best for your body in a given circumstance.

  Doulas are on top of making sure all your needs are met. They will constantly offer you water/electrolytes, encourage you to eat, change positions, make sure you’re using the restroom often (because a full bladder can delay labor!), lift your spirits if you’re discouraged, turn off the lights, or help you rest. There’s endless small things a doula can help you with during labor but these are some things to expect. Doulas wear many “hats” if you will, whether that’s being an advocate for your desires, encouraging you, directing your mind away from fear, giving you hands on comfort techniques, or changing your position to facilitate labor progress. They do their best to read the room and be attentive to how you’re doing, so what they do for you can depend on the circumstances. Most doulas, including myself, love to help partners be the most involved by showing them ways they can help!

After birth, doulas will typically do 1-2 postpartum visits to check up on how you’re doing, help you in ways you might need, and recommend any resources. They also love to listen to your thoughts on how the birth went and help you process details if needed. Overall, a doula is there for you from the moment you first meet up with them until you’re holding your baby in your arms and are well set for postpartum. 

Do you need a birth doula?

Having a doula is shown to create faster, smoother labors with less complications. And there is a reason why. Birth is absolutely physical but it is also deeply mental and emotional. How your mind is during birth can change the physical outcome/feeling of pain, because there is a tight connection between the two. Hormones are signaling labor to start and progress, and they are telling your body if it’s safe or not to continue labor. How you feel emotionally can send different signals to your body, changing the rhythm of labor. That is why doulas help, because they address the physical and mental side of things.

What I believe

As a doula, my philosophy of birth is that it is a normal and natural process not to be disturbed unnecessarily. Your body and baby have been working so hard to get to the moment of labor and birth, and there is nothing to fear. There is a beautiful yet complicated design that even the medical field has yet to fully understand. It is a time that must be cherished, protected, and always seen as sacred. 

When we let the body do what it was designed to do, it creates a space for women to feel empowered and deeply connected to their body, trusting that even though it’s hard, it is good. We’ve gone so far from this in the medical field, and women are too often given a fear-based mindset and overlooked in this vulnerable time. Every woman is unique, and so is every birth story. Yes there are times to intervene, but that should be rare! And we should be more equipped to prepare mothers mind and body for birth to lessen the chances of intervention. I want to help change that with each woman I have the privilege of walking alongside in this beautiful journey. 

If you’re in the San Antonio TX or Hill Country area, I’d love to talk with you!