If a Doula's only job is to support whatever the mother wants there is no point in having a Doula. She can "do whatever she wants" without a Doula; unless she wants a truly natural birth. There is no progress in anything by just accepting the status quo; history has taught us that. If you are resigned to accepting routine interventions that add to our infant morbidity and mortality problem, maybe you should re-evaluate why you are a Doula. It is not possible to have a positive impact on outcomes if you just don't care.

Maybe I need to be clearer in what I'm saying. First of all, I have also been a Doula for a decade; I am not new to this. I don't disagree that many moms go along with whatever has been the experience of their family and friends. What I said was, mothers do not receive "LEGAL, FULLY INFORMED CONSENT" from their medical providers, and many do not have Doulas. So I don't think that you can make the assumption that if all moms knew the risks, they would make the same choices. At every birth that I have attended the medical provider has told the mother that epidurals are safe; and when questioned about the risks, they were minimized. There are situations that interventions are best for the health of the mother and/or baby; that is not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is the ROUTINE use of these interventions that are KNOWN to cause more problems. What I am also saying is that you can't say your are supporting the moms' choices; because in many cases they don't KNOW what they are choosing, therefore you are not really supporting "their choices"; you are supporting the medical profession's choices. Do you also support "membrane stripping" without the mother's knowledge and consent? Are you also familiar with "Pit to Distress"? I have been at many births, natural, external versions, Pitocin, epidural, C-Section; and no I do not "walk out". If a Doula's only job is to support whatever the mother wants there is no point in having a Doula. She can "do whatever she wants" without a Doula; unless she wants a truly natural birth. There is no progress in anything by just accepting the status quo; history has taught us that. If you are resigned to accepting routine interventions that add to our infant morbidity and mortality problem, maybe you should re-evaluate why you are a Doula. It is not possible to have a positive impact on outcomes if you just don't care.

I therefore feel that as Doula's it is our responsibility to mothers and babies to make sure that mothers know what they are agreeing to.

Yet many of you chose to make a lot of assumptions about me, my experience and how I practice. You did answer the question as to whether the article made you feel the same way; and the answer is obviously No.

What I will do, is what I am doing right now and try to educate as many women as possible about how serious the medical interventions in birth are; that we use on a ROUTINE basis; with no medical justification and are counter-productive to healthy births.

I don't need to re-evaluate why I am a Doula. I am a Doula and have been for ten years, because I have experienced birth, feel that it is a miracle and want to help other women to have healthy babies; that grow and develop into healthy children and adults. It has been demonstrated that using medical interventions routinely without medical need puts low-risk mothers and babies at high-risk for complications, particularly major surgery, infections, neurological problems in children, etc; and therefore does not achieve my goal.

This was what I said in my original post:

This article is long and technical; but after reading it, I'm having a hard time with the
"As Doulas we need to support what the mother wants". See if it has the same effect
on you. and then:

This is not "my agenda". These are scientific medical risks to routine procedures that are not evidence-based. More mothers than not, do not even have Doulas. In my experience mothers do not receive the legal "INFORMED" consent from their medical providers. They are told that these procedures are "safe". They also do not receive the true risks in hospital-based childbirth classes. I therefore feel that as Doula's it is our responsibility to mothers and babies to make sure that mothers know what they are agreeing to.
Yet many of you chose to make a lot of assumptions about me, my experience and how I practice. You did answer the question as to whether the article made you feel the same way; and the answer is obviously "no".

What I will do, is what I am doing right now and try to educate as many women as possible about how serious the medical interventions in birth are; that we use on a ROUTINE basis; with no medical justification and are counter-productive to healthy births. Again, this is not MY AGENDA, but also is supported by the National Institutes of Health, CIMS and the World Health Organization.

I don't need to re-evaluate why I am a Doula. I am a Doula and have been for ten years, because I have experienced birth, feel that it is a miracle and want to help other women to have healthy babies; that grow and develop into healthy children and adults. It has been demonstrated that using medical interventions routinely without medical need puts low-risk mothers and babies at high-risk for complications, particularly major surgery, infections, neurological problems in children, etc; and therefore does not achieve my goal.