birth empowerment.

Dads and Doulas

When it comes to pregnancy, birth, and parenting, today’s father many times wants to be an active partner. He wants to guide his partner through labor, welcome his baby, and help care for his newborn. In preparation, he participates in childbirth classes, attends the prenatal visits, and is the main support person in the delivery room.

With that in mind, we must not forget that this role of a labor coach can be difficult to fulfill. In a very short amount of time, a father is expected to become familiar with the process and language of birth, understand medical procedures and protocols, and make philosophical decisions with his partner about what is most important to them about their impending birth experience. In labor, a father may not understand a woman’s instinctive behaviors during childbirth and question if it is outside of the norm. He may witness his partner in pain and become understandably distressed.

A doula never replaces a father. She can help with each of these challenges. With doula support, fathers tend to stay involved rather than pull away in times of stress. A doula can be reassuring to both the mother and father, while skillfully help the mother cope with labor pain in her unique way. She can assist with providing physical comfort measures such as massage or be the father’s back-up when he needs a break. A doula can provide information to help parents make informed decisions and facilitate communication between a laboring woman, her partner, and their medical providers.

A father’s presence and support during childbirth is irreplaceable to a new mother. Providing a primary role in the birth of his child gives the father his ultimate opportunity to nurture and protect his family. With her partner and a doula at the birth, a mother can have the best of both worlds: her partner’s loving care and attention and the doula’s expertise and guidance in childbirth.

-Dads and Doulas: Key Players on Mother’s Labor Support Team, DONA, 2001