What are the benefits to having a doula present at the birth?
We wrote about doulas a few months ago. According to WebMD, doulas can provide emotional support for both the birthing mom and her partner; perform helpful tasks that busy nurses don’t have time for; remain with the mom throughout the entire labor (most nurses will changes shifts every eight hours, so if your labor is long, you’ll have to continually make new relationships); and be an advocate for the woman’s desires when she’s too distracted or freaked out to do it for herself. Childbirth.org details many more benefits and duties of a doula.
