A Doula:

 ·            Recognizes birth as a key life experience that the mother will remember all her life

 ·        Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor

·        Assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth

·        Stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor

·        Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, and objective viewpoint and assistance to the woman

          in getting the information she needs to make good decisions.

·        Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and clinical care providers

·        Perceives her role as one who nurtures and protects the woman’s memory of her birth experience

                         A Word from Karen:                                                                                                   A Word from Brooke: