How do I know it's necessary?

So often I have been asked the question “How do I know if it’s necessary?”

I so vividly remember feeling this way my self as a first time mom. We live in a country where unnecessary interventions are rampant and families often don’t know how to decide what is necessary and what isn’t. We all want to do what is best for our families and words like “your baby will die” will quickly scare us into submission. So how do we navigate this complicated culture?

Here are some simple tips I give my clients:

Start with B.R.A.I.N.

Benefits- what are the benefits of this intervention?

Risks- what are the risks of this intervention? (if someone says none they are lying; every intervention has benefits and risks)

Alternatives- what are the alternatives to the intervention you are suggesting

Intuition - What does your intuition say? A lot of parenting is a mix of facts and what you intuitively think is the right path to take………..and that begins the moment you become pregnant.

Nothing- what happens if we do nothing?

After going through B.R.A.I.N. with your care provider the next step is to ask for 10 minutes to privately discuss the options offered. If something is a true emergency you will know after you request this.

Remember that you should always be given full informed consent. Here’s some things to remember. Full informed consent means you have the right to refuse as well. Hospital policies never trump your rights; you are the head of your medical team. Birth is a normal physiological function. And lastly, the need for intervention should be rare in healthy low risk women.

Why Should I Hire a Doula?

So you may be thinking why in the world do I need a Doula? Maybe people are questioning why you would want to spend money on that. Or maybe you had a care provider tell you “sure you can hire a best friend for the day”. Or maybe your care provider told you they hate doulas.

I know when I was pregnant with my first we truly thought we couldn’t afford it and we are educated so we will be fine. What we quickly learned was we really did need someone with us and being alone in a system that makes you feel like you can’t question things is not where you want to be.

What many people don’t realize is that doulas have been studied and it is proven that having a doula improves outcomes. Here is some of what we have found.

50% less likely to give birth by cesarean section
40% less likely to give birth with a vacuum extractor
60% less likely to request an epidural
33% less likely to be dissatisfied or negatively rate their birth experience
40% reduction in use of Pitocin
25% shorter labor


Information was obtained from Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can HelpYou Have a Shorter Easier and Healthier Birth, Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus (1993).

Here is a great longer article from Evidence based Birth on why Doulas are so helpful:

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/