Spot/article about doulas on Today show

http://today.%20msnbc.msn.%20com/id/27808452/

Great article, less great TV spot, feel free to read my comment below as to why....

I find it funny that one of the OB's main comments focused on liability. "If something goes wrong, who is liable?" (meaning between the doula, parents or doctor) Liability is definitely an issue at the heart of so many of the problems in maternity care and certainly at the top of most OBs minds. Giving voice to that thought on TV when there are so many other thoughts that could have been expressed really shows just how high up in their thoughts it is. OBs don't want to juggle another liability (and I don't blame them) and since the informational support component that doulas provide can help parents to ask more questions and use their right to informed consent, it can make liability protection seem harder for OBs.

Personally, I didn't think the spot was horrible, just a bit biased to the idea that patients should just "trust their doctor and nurse" rather than becoming informed and advocating for their birth and baby's health. Ideally we could all trust all careproviders, but it is naive to think that they don't have motives that may not match our own. Any doula worth her massage oil should be able to navigate facilitating discussions between care providers and expecting couples so that everyone is heard and options are discussed in a manner that keeps the birth environment calm and positive. The doula should do everything possible to keep her short term relationship with the nurses and OBs harmonious. When everyone is doing their job well, it is not even an issue and a doula and careprovider will mutually benefit one another. We are not natural adversaries, but have actually been hired by the same people as a part of a team.

The newscast also brought up repeatedly how dangerous labor can become at any second which is a message we could use a bit less of I think. I wish the stats that show less c-sections, less interventions and higher satisfaction with birth experiences should definitely have been brought up.