This is my first pregnancy and I’m conflicted about whether or not to hire a doula. I’ve been going back and forth in indecision, asking people’s opinions, and looking around on the internet for other moms’ experiences. I think having a doula would be amazing and provide so much support, but I also think I don’t need one and prefer to have less people in the hospital room.

When I brought this up to my doctor, she said that people underestimate how sufficient nurses are in providing support. Another doctor in the same office said that their nurses are excellent in providing L&D support, and that it’s not very often that they see a doula in the delivery room. A part of me feels like if I were to hire a doula, they would think I don’t trust their nurses enough and that I’m really privileged to be able to spend extra money on a doula. A part of me also thinks that I should be able deliver without a doula and that having one somehow makes me less capable.

I intellectually know all of these are my thoughts, and there’s no right or wrong decision here. Having a doula feels like too much support and not having a doula feels like too little of a support. Then I think about how many moms have had a wonderful birth experience both with and without a doula, and I’m back to indecision. I trust myself to have an empowering birth experience with or without a doula, but I’m still feeling stuck on this decision!