Doulas Banned from Hospital

I am a bit late commenting on this.  This topic has come up before.  Some OB groups refuse to let their patients have a doula.

Here is the most recent incident.

Doula bans are uncommon, but the issue has cropped up elsewhere, said Stefanie Antunes, spokeswoman for DONA International, which represents 7,000 doulas, including 3,000 who’ve been certified by the group.

One compromise that has worked is to have doulas sign documents that spell out their role.

Interestingly enough the hospital I most enjoy attending births at, has a document that I have to sign as a doula.  I think that is fine, it doesn’t change anything I would normally do.     I think this is a better way to go then to prevent your patient from having a doula.

In the article it talks about a doula who tells her patient to wait an hour before getting a cesarean.  We don’t know all the details, but as a doula I wouldn’t ever say that.  I would encourage the mom to ask questions and then support her in whatever HER decision was.  If she said on her own, “I want to wait another hour.”  I would back her up on that.

Indeed there were moms who chose to leave this practice and keep their doula with a new care provider.  Mom’s deserve to have continuous support throughout their births.

The thing that really gets me is THEIR birth plan.     There are so many things wrong with it, but at least they are honest and mom knows what she will get if she stays with them.  For me it would be a huge red flag to RUN AWAY!    Find a care provider who will treat you as a partner in your care.