Labor and Birth Support

Once we join you in active labor, we provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support throughout your entire labor and birth—no matter how long it takes.

Physically, we suggest labor positions that help your baby descend and ease pain, apply counter-pressure to your back or hips during contractions, guide you through breathing techniques, help you move between positions, provide massage and touch, and facilitate hydrotherapy if desired.

Emotionally, we offer calm, steady presence during intensity, encouragement when you doubt yourself, help you stay grounded if anxiety or trauma responses arise, and remind you of your strength.

Informationally, we help you understand what's happening at each stage, explain your options when decisions arise, and support you in communicating with medical staff. We also continuously coach your partner on how to support you effectively.

Yes. Continuous presence is one of the most valuable aspects of doula support.

Unlike medical staff who rotate shifts, we stay with you throughout your entire labor, from when we join you in active labor until after your baby is born.

We don't leave for shift changes, lunch breaks, or to attend other patients.

If we need to use the restroom or grab food, we step out only briefly and let you know—and usually only during quieter moments or when your partner is present.

This continuous presence means you always have someone who knows you, understands your birth preferences, and can provide expert support.

You never have to start over explaining what helps you or worry about being alone during contractions.

This depends on your birth location, your preferences, and how your labor is progressing. When you think labor might be starting, you call us anytime (we're on-call 24/7 from 38 weeks). We'll talk through what you're experiencing—contraction timing, intensity, what you're feeling—and determine together when we should join you.

For hospital births: We often encourage you to labor at home during early labor when it's more comfortable, then we either come to your home to support you there or meet you at the hospital when you're in active labor. Some people prefer we come to their home earlier.

For birth center births: Similar to hospital—often meeting you at the birth center when active labor is established.

For home births: We typically come to your home earlier since you're already in your birth location, often joining you in early to mid labor.

The key is that you're never alone wondering "when should I call?"—we talk through it together and join you when YOU need us, which might be earlier or later depending on your unique labor and needs.

Emotional support is about being a steady, calming presence while honoring whatever you're experiencing emotionally during labor's intensity:

Encouragement: Reminding you of your strength when you say "I can't do this." Affirming that you ARE doing it, that you're powerful, that your body knows what to do.

Reassurance: Letting you know that what you're feeling is normal, that labor IS this intense, that you're not failing.

Grounding: If you start to panic, dissociate, or feel overwhelmed, we help bring you back to the present moment—focusing on your breath, feeling your feet on the ground, looking into our eyes, using your voice.

Calm presence: Staying emotionally steady when you feel out of control, providing an anchor of calm in the intensity.

Validation: Acknowledging how hard this is, that your feelings are real and valid, that it's okay to feel however you're feeling.

Advocacy for your emotions: If you need to cry, scream, laugh, or express anger—we hold space for all of it without judgment.

Trauma-informed awareness: If you're a survivor, we're especially attuned to signs you might be having a trauma response, and we use strategies we discussed in prenatal visits to help you stay present and safe.

We read your emotional state continuously and adjust our presence—sometimes you need active encouragement, sometimes you need us to be quiet and just stay close, sometimes you need us to help you find your fierce voice.

No. Birth doulas are not medical providers. We don't perform clinical tasks, make medical recommendations, or tell you what decisions to make. Here's what we DO:

• We help you understand what's happening: When medical staff explain something, we can help translate medical terminology into plain language if needed.

• We help you explore your options: If a decision needs to be made, we can help you think through questions to ask: "What are the benefits of this intervention? What are the risks? What are alternatives? What happens if we wait?"

• We remind you of your preferences: If something is suggested that differs from your birth plan, we might gently remind: "You wanted to try X before Y—would you like to ask about trying that first?"

• We support YOUR decisions: Whatever you decide—we support it. Our role is to help you make informed choices, not to make choices for you.

• We facilitate communication: We can help you articulate questions or concerns to medical staff, ensuring you're heard.

• We provide continuity of information: While medical staff changes shifts, we've been there the whole time and can help you understand how your labor has been progressing.

The key difference: Medical providers have expertise about clinical interventions and medical management. We have expertise about labor support, comfort measures, and helping you make informed decisions that are right for YOU.