Parents Council: Preparing For Birth

When I was pregnant the second time, we considered having a doula with us at the hospital. At that time, I knew many couples who sought the expertise of a doula – a person who is trained to help during labor and after the birth of a baby. In the end, however, we decided against it – not because we didn’t think a doula would be helpful, but my husband and I felt that the two of us along with our midwife would be fine. Penny Simkin, the mother of the doula movement, was recently featured in The Seattle Times for her work with expectant parents. According to the story, having a doula at birth helps decrease labor time by as much as 25 percent. It also reduces the Cesarean-section rates by one-third/ Virginia de Leon , Parents Council. More here

Question: How did you prepare for the birth of your child(ren)? What was the experience like for you and your partner?