Births and Beyond 
Introduction
 
   Hello, my name is Kelly MacDonald and I am a labor support doula. 
I have been supporting women in labor since 1998. I am passionate about providing support 
to my clients as they prepare to become parents.  As a labor support doula, I accompany women 
and their partner(s) into labor and help provide emotional and physical comfort measures, 
along with information about your progress in labor.  
 
What a doula is......
 
   A doula is a woman experienced with the birth process, who
is willing to accompany and support women and their partner(s) through birth and
provide continuous physical and emotional comfort measures during the birth
process.  Most doulas attend a certification process and are nationally
recognized for their work with laboring women.
 
 What a Doula does.....
 
   Using her vast knowledge of the birth process, a doula will
give verbal support and encouragement, provide comfort techniques within
the guidelines established by the woman's health care provider(s), and help
the woman have a better understanding of what her body is capable of
throughout pregnancy and birth.  The doula also helps preserve the woman's birth memory.
 
 What a Doula does not do.....
 
A doula does not deliver babies, give medical advice, tell a
woman how to birth, take over the role of the father or primary support
person unless asked to do so, take the place of the medical personnel,
provide medical care in anyway, interfere with the birth process or advice of the
doctor / midwife, or write the birth plan if the woman chooses to have one.