Before birth.
A place to ask the questions, explore your wishes, and think through what comfort, communication, and support mean to you. Preparation can include your partner or someone else you trust.
Explore birth supportBefore birth & in the room
More room for questions.
More support for
your voice.
Nonmedical doula support complements your licensed care team. It can help you prepare questions, make room for your support people, explore preferences, and find official community-resource starting points that help you prepare for birth and what comes after.
What a doula does.
A doula offers emotional, physical, and informational support. Think encouragement, comfort, and help navigating conversations. It is not clinical treatment.
Your OB-GYN, midwife, nurses, and other clinicians assess your health, explain medical choices, and provide clinical care. A doula does not deliver babies, perform medical examinations, diagnose, prescribe, or make treatment decisions for you.
These roles can work together. Having someone help you remember your questions or express a comfort preference can make it easier to stay part of a busy conversation.
Before. In the room. After.
A whole journey.
Not just the big day.
Here’s what doula support can look like. Your conversations with Tenise define the support that’s right for you.
During labor.
Encouragement. A steady presence. Help putting your needs into words. Nonmedical support works alongside the clinicians assessing your health and caring for you and your baby.
Practice a birth conversationAfter baby.
The baby needs care, and so do you. Start a conversation about practical help, emotional support, feeding questions, recovery, and the people you can call.
Talk about life after birthBefore birth
A plan is a
conversation starter.
Start with what you want to understand. How do you feel about pain relief? Who do you want involved? What helps you feel calm? Which questions would you like to bring to your next appointment?
Your preferences don’t have to cover every possibility. They can simply put what matters to you into words. Review them with your clinician so you understand which options fit your health needs and how the plan might change.
A partner or trusted person can help practice these conversations. Talk about who takes notes, what reassuring language feels useful, and how you want them to speak up with your permission.
Build your birth-wishes guideA changing plan
doesn’t erase
your voice.
Support for low-intervention wishes. Respect for every birth experience.
If you hope for an unmedicated or low-intervention birth, discuss that with your care team. Comfort preferences can include breathing, movement, changes in position, or a quieter environment when your medical circumstances allow.
You can change your mind about pain relief. An intervention or C-section may be medically necessary. A doula’s role is to support you through the experience, not to promise a particular outcome or discourage needed medical care.
Questions such as “Why do you recommend this?” and “How urgent is the decision?” can help you understand what is happening. Your clinician provides the medical explanation.
Practice the conversation before the momentBefore you book,
make the details clear.
Tenise describes her role as birth advocate, coach, strategist, sounding board, and community-resource guide whose support can extend beyond labor. She supports families planning births at home and in hospitals. In either setting, her role is nonmedical and complements the licensed clinical team. Confirm the exact services and scope directly with her. Talk with her about the service you’re exploring, location and travel, prenatal meetings, labor support, on-call expectations, backup arrangements, communication, and fees. Review the agreement so everyone understands what is included.
Your facility’s rules and clinical circumstances can affect support-person access. Confirm those details with the facility and bring them into the support conversation.
More questions about working with a doulaLet’s talk about
your support.
Bring your questions. Bring your hopes.
Start wherever you are.