06/11/2026
“But I’m going to have my husband, my bestie, and my mom at my birth. Why would I need a doula too?”
To be totally real, some people don’t. I’m not going to tell you a doula is a requirement for a positive birth experience.
But having a doula isn’t about replacing partners or other support people. Doulas are additional support. It’s not either/or, it’s teamwork makes the dream work.
By the time I took this photo, I’d been supporting this couple for months. We’d talked through hopes, fears, questions, birth preferences, and what to expect during labor.
I’d answered texts, shared resources, practiced comfort measures, and helped them prepare for the decisions and surprises that can come up along the way.
When we got to the hospital, it wasn’t as strangers. By then, we were friends.
When I stepped back and took this picture, the four of us had been supporting her together for hours.
We held her up through contractions. We held the fan, the cool rag, the water bottle, and the chapstick. We provided counter pressure and hip squeezes. We repeated her mantras back to her.
And when someone needed a break, someone else stepped in.
Nobody was competing for a role.
She had her husband.
She had her best friend.
She had her mom.
And she had me. Ready to be whatever she needed.
Because birth isn’t usually a time when people wish they had less support.
