Catie Mehl is a certified birth doula. She says she helps women and their partners during the labor and birth process with emotional and physical support. "We suggest position changes, we offer suggestions on different comfort techniques, we help with breathing, we just help them to feel a little bit more comfortable during the birthing process," she said.
Mehl helped Margaret Murphy with the birth of Murphy's daughter three years ago. At the time, Murphy was a patient at Kingsdale Gynecologic Associates, which no longer uses doulas.
"Because I did have such a good experience, it disappoints me that other women that go through that practice will not have the option to have that experience again," Murphy said. "I would never birth a child without a doula, ever. So that affects me in the choice I make and in the practice that I select for my next child," she said.
Kingsdale Gynecologic Associates said it had several instances in which the labor support provided by a few doulas crossed over into giving medical advice and recommendations for patients. Dr. Kimberly Shepherd said she had worked with "some wonderful doulas in Columbus with great experiences and support during labor," and called the bad experiences "unfortunate."
Murphy learned about doulas from a co-worker. She researched doulas and interviewed three before deciding to hire Catie Mehl.
Doulas are certified by national and international organizations like Dona International. They don't provide medical support, so they aren't regulated in the State of Ohio. Hiring a doula can cost anywhere from $300 to $700 depending upon experience level. Doulas typically need at least three births to become cerfified and some doulas in training offer their services for free.
Dr. Shepherd said the doulas she's worked with in the past had varying levels of experience and care. She said she would like to see an easier way to determine doula standards.
DONA International says several studies show the use of doulas reduces the need for narcotics, caesarean sections and labor time. Mehl said the time of labor can be reduced by 25%.
For more detailed information on doulas, see Related Links above.
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