tide is turning.

Today's health consumers including pregnant women and their spouses/partners are now demanding more as to what the birth experience can be and

Women had for centuries had helpmates to assist them during their labors and/or pregnancies. Generally it was their mother/mother-in-law, a sister, an aunt or local neighborhood elder or lay midwife. With the advance in medical interventions, it seemed that childbirth become more a medical enclave than a celebration of family and friends as it was in the past. Those who had previously been the major contributors to the prenatal, labor and post natal care were relegated to be more witnesses than active participants.

Women's wishes also as to what their birth experiences should be were also more likely than not to be ignored or negated in major ways. Now the tide is turning.

Today's health consumers including pregnant women and their spouses/partners are now demanding more as to what the birth experience can be and w

ighborhood elder or lay midwife. With the advance in medical interventions, it seemed that childbirth become more a medical enclave than a celebration of family and friends as it was in the past. Those who had previously been the major contributors to the prenatal, labor and post natal care were relegated to be more witnesses than active participants.

Women's wishes also as to what their birth experiences should be were also more likely than not to be ignored or negated in major ways. Now the tide is turning.

Today's health consumers including pregnant women and their spouses/partners are now demanding more as to what the birth experience can be and

ends as it was in the past. Those who had previously been the major contributors to the prenatal, labor and post natal care were relegated to be more witnesses than active participants.

Women's wishes also as to what their birth experiences should be were also more likely than not to be ignored or negated in major ways. Now the tide is turning.

Today's health consumers including pregnant women and their spouses/partners are now demanding more as to what the birth experience can be and

tive participants.

Women's wishes also as to what their birth experiences should be were also more likely than not to be ignored or negated in major ways. Now the tide is turning.

Today's health consumers including pregnant women and their spouses/partners are now demanding more as to what the birth experience can be and

tide is turning.

Today's health consumers including pregnant women and their spouses/partners are now demanding more as to what the birth experience can be and will be. Intregal to this is the doula who as noted above is the woman's servant. She is a non medical person who assists the laboring woman physically, emotionally and mentally. She is an enabler as she does not make decisions for her client nor does she speak for her but she does provide education/information and encourages her to speak up for herself. One way she helps her also to process what her individual needs are is to help her do a birth plan. This plan delineates what she wants and does not want to occur during the childbirth experience. Of course, she must present it to the medical entity she goes to.

Thus, the doula does help the mother. She al