Pros and Cons of Professional Labor Support

(Taken from, The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer)

Pros:

• Continuity of care.  Most doulas meet with you one or more times before the birth, stay with you throughout labor, and make one or more postpartum visits.  Because of this, they know your concerns and priorities regarding labor, they can help you debrief and digest the labor experience, and they can help with breastfeeding and parenting concerns.
• Support for the father or partner.  Fathers or partners can participate to the extent that they feel comfortable.  Fathers especially need nurturing and care during this major life transition.
• Accessible resource.  You and your partner do not have to worry about forgetting what you learned in child-birth preparation classes.
• Another pair of hands.  During long labors, the partner and the doula can spell each other.  During intense periods, more than one person may be needed to help you.
• Credibility.  You know that unlike the father, the doula knows how hard labor can be.  You will trust that what the doula asks can be done because you know the doula is experienced with labor support and, in most cases, has labored herself.
• Advocacy.  Accountable only to the couple, the doula has no conflict of interest with the hospital or doctor.  She is ideally situated to facilitate communication between you and medical staff and to help ensure that you make informed decisions.
• Reduced rates of medical procedures and complications.  Doulas are not magic, though.  If your obstetrician has a high cesarean rate or you are planning an early epidural, a doula may not be able to overcome that.

Cons:

• Hiring the wrong person.  This would be someone who imposes her ideas of the "right" way to do things or who pushes your partner aside.
• Hospital staff hostility.  This may be the doula's fault, but more likely it arises from doctors or nurses seeing the doula as an intruder into their territory or as a competitor.  Hospital staff may also feel threatened if the doula's presence leads you to ask questions or resist procedures.  In their view, the doula has made you a "difficult patient."