The Doula Advantage

I read this book, by the way, while labor-sitting with a wonderful couple who had a very long, very slow labor followed by a very fast 2nd stage and birth.

The Doula Advantage: Your Complete Guide to Having an Empowered and Positive Birth with the Help of a Professional Childbirth Assistant is by Rachel Gurevich. What I found most interesting about it is that it's written from a very different perspective than most "you should have a doula" books: that of the consumer. The author isn't a doula or a midwife or a childbirth educator. She's an editor at a mom-focused website - and a mother. So this is kind of a "consumer reports" version of why and how to have a doula.

I like that she lists a wide variety of doula certification organizations (including Birthing From Within) - so many sources just say "find somebody certfied by DONA". DONA is great, I'm sure, but I have no desire to certify through them. And I am learning a LOT through my certification process with Birthing From Within!

On the other hand, this seems like kind of a "lightweight" book to me. I guess because it's focused on ONLY doulas and why you might want one and how to get one. There is so much to learn and think about and experience around birth besides a doula that it felt strange to read a book that really doesn't address (in any depth) the kinds of choices and experiences a doula is supposed to help a woman negotiate.

One little thing that struck me as odd was her injunction against meeting with a doula you're thinking of hiring in your home. She really doesn't say why she thinks this is a bad idea, and honestly, I think it's a good idea assuming you've screened the person ahead of time (by talking to her over the phone, etc.). It's harder to have a conversation that's more than superficial in a public location, and I don't know that I'd want to hire or be hired based on a superficial conversation.

Would I recommend this book to clients? Maybe - I mean, it wouldn't go on a "waste of time" list like some other books I could (but won't) name - but it wouldn't be at the top of the "read this now" pile, either.