“I think everyone should have a doula because there's one more person on your care team that's there entirely for your comfort, encouragement, and well-being.”

— Ansâr El Muhammad, AAIMM Doula

What does being a Doula Mean to you?

Being a doula means that I am here to provide support emotionally, physically, and informationally in every step of birth or bereavement. As a full spectrum doula, I'm here to make sure the birthing person knows all of their options and rights as a patient. I come prepared with non-medicinal comfort measures and get in touch with the birthing person's wishes, needs, and what makes them feel good. I believe doulas are here to humanize, empower, and comfort the birthing process from prenatal to postpartum.

One reason a family should consider having a doula:

I think everyone should have a doula because there's one more person on your care team that's there entirely for your comfort, encouragement, and well-being. Doulas are here for the emotional side of childbirth and listen to your needs and desires. The prenatal to postpartum period can be stressful, and it's normal to have questions. A doula can help you understand what's going on, what your options are, and make you feel confident in your birth journey, while relieving some of that stress.

Please share a story of one of your most memorable experiences as a doula.

My first birth client and I met for the first time over the phone just three days before her induction. I volunteered at a hospital that coordinated doula care for families that were in need of support. We were unable to meet in person for the first time until she was receiving her induction medication. Then, over the next 28 hours, I'd learn how she needed support. Over my doula training I had expected months of getting to know my client with helpful interviews and meetings, but I was thrown into a birth just like that. It was amazing—learning her story in between contractions, working with the nurses to ensure she could be mobile and unrestricted, trying different labor positions—we worked hard and she was able to get through it knowing I was there to support her. She told me about the importance of names, and how she chose the name for her daughter. As she pushed her final push, I told her to speak her baby girl's name. It was a heroic end to our time together as she shouted her baby girl into the world and pulled her up for skin-to-skin. I was certain that this was my calling and I wanted every person that gives birth to have an empowered experience as she did.