" As one father noted: "I've run a number of marathons, I've done a lot of hiking with heavy backpack, and I've worked for forty hours straight on-call; but going through labor with my wife was more strenuous and exhausting than any of these other experiences. We could never have done it without the doula. She was crucial for us." His wife added: "I want the doula there to assure me that everything is fine and to comfort me. I want my husband there for emotional support." Over and over again we have been impressed by the calming influence the doula has for both mother and father as she explains what is happening, uses her extensive experience to help the mother, and supports the parents in having the kind of experience they originally desired."**

"One of the most positive recent developments in maternity care from the point of view of the parents is the addition of the doula to guide and support women and their partners through labor and birth. A doula is trained and experienced in providing emotional support, physical support and nonclinical advise. She draws on her knowledge of and experience with birth as she reassures, encourages and empathizes with the mother. A doula cannot and does not try to take over the role of the birth partner, who knows the mother better and loves her as no one else does. But there are times when a woman needs more than one helper in labor."***