The Doulo

A doula is a trained woman who provides support to a woman in labor. She also supports and encourages her partner to support a woman in labor. She acts as an advocate for the laboring woman and her partner to the medical staff.

Doulas have been employed in different cultures for millennia, and they’re starting to be popular in the States.

Zel and I are interviewing a couple of doulas this week. My friend the epidemiologist, who just found out she’s pregnant with twins, said she doesn’t want a doula sitting around knitting during the birth of her babies. Funny how a highly educated woman doesn’t bother to educate herself on some issues. But, I digress.

In our childbirth education class, there’s a man there who is an EMT, and he’s acting as this one woman’s doula. Or doulo, if you will.(I didn’t do well in Spanish. I was one of those students who thought is was ok to just add an O. Sorry Luis!)

The doulo’s not gay; he just likes being around birth.

That’s cool.

He doesn’t charge. And that’s cool, too. Free is a very good price.

When he introduced himself, he said that the doulas don’t talk to him. As class progressed, we found out why.

He was goddamned annoying. And it wasn’t just me and my pregnant hormones. Zel thought the dude was goddamned annoying, too.

The childbirth educator would be teaching, and he would jump in and give his perception, experience, etc. Sometimes the teacher asked him for his experience, but mostly she didn’t…mostly.

He came off as an authority. I’m not saying he doesn’t have knowledge, but tone it down a notch, dude. Either that, or go learn to be a childbirth educator. This class isn’t about you. This class is about all the preggies who are about to squeeze a baby out of their pussy.