My Doula Emma was wonderful and so important -- despite my birth (on 15th Feb '09) being very very fast! Emma had provided me with help and support through the last stages of pregnancy, finding out information about stretch and sweep (which I wanted to avoid unless it was really necessary) and cheering me up as the snow lay thick on the ground in early February.
I was aiming for a home birth and as my first baby had been a water birth, though in hospital, I was hoping to do that again. Emma made sure that my midwife supported my choices and allowed me to feel confident that everything would be, as I wanted it.
Late on the evening of 14th Feb my waters broke and soon after labour began. By the time that Emma reached me I was in the last throws of second stage labour. In fact, it was all so fast that the birthing pool never got filled, and though one midwife turned up, the second that you are meant to have at home only appeared after baby had arrived, and the first never had time to set up the gas and air!
If Emma hadn't turned up, my husband would not have been present for the birth and the midwife had so many jobs for him. 15 minutes later, my baby girl was with us and soon feeding well. Emma made sure that we were all comfortable, that everything remained quite and peaceful and unobtrusively looked after me: made sure that I had a nice relaxing bath (in the pool that we never managed to fill fully) and looked after the three ring circus that appeared in my home without my ever really being aware that they were there. Luckily, my toddler slept through the whole affair, until everyone left at about 6:30 am, but just knowing that Emma’s could pick her up and cuddle her if need be helped me relax. I never had a moment's worry.
In the next few weeks, my husband suffered quite badly from depression, and Emma's support, while helping with the housework and playing with my two-year-old made all the difference. I wouldn't have got through the blues without her -- we have no family nearby so she became a kind of sister, the sort you really want to have around. Every woman should have a doula.