What did she do that helped you the most? We bit the bullet and hired a doula today! I'm very excited. She asked what areas I think I will need the most support in, and I really have no idea what to tell her since I've never had a baby 
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She helped us to feel calm and stay relaxed since we trusted her experience to know that while each birth is unique, things were still "normal." She helped to suggest different positions to labor in, and provided counter pressure relief, heading pads, etc.
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Yay, I'm excited for you! Our doula was one of the best investments we ever made. Like @Aprk said, she helped me so much through labor, especially during transition when I really wanted to give up, but more than anything I was grateful for her POST-labor. The doctors tried to push formula on us because my daughter was jaundiced, but my doula helped us have a voice to resist the pressure to supplement. In the end, we were able to pump and breastfeed and push for what WE wanted despite resistance from the hospital staff.
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I found my doula to be a great comfort in my prenatal care. When I was sent from my routine pre-natal appoinment for an urgent test at another medical center I was able to call my doula en route. She walked me through the test, gave me questions to ask, and details to listen for. That really helped remain calm and feel in control.
Of course she was incredibly helpful during my (ridiculously) long labor. Besides the labor stuff, she did everything she could to make me comfortable and feel nurtured, including massage and doing my hair - which I loved. She even ran interference my parents.
She was also incredibly helpful post-partum. We had weekly phone call appointments for six weeks. I didn't think I needed it the first two weeks but it was so nice to have a sounding board when the realities of parenthood and pp recovery really hit weeks 3-5.
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She made me feel comfortable during labor and massaged my back through each contraction. That was amaaaaazing. The massaging helped me immensely and I do not think I would have achieved a med free birth without that! It really helped manage the pain. I have become great friends with my doula and we hang out all the time now so that is an added bonus!
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She also took notes and wrote up our birth story as a letter to A. So sweet.
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@Mrs. High Heels: Your birth stories and comments on your doula experience are what made DH decide we should go for it! He said he thinks it would give me the best chance at success.
@aprk: Our doula has to write up a birth account to turn in to DONA for part of her certification, and I am so thrilled its going to be documented in such detail! I love that yours wrote your birth story as a letter to your LO.
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The nurses would fly in, say something quickly, adjust something on a monitor, and leave (although they were all very nice!)
I could turn to my doula and she would explain what all of the jargon meant and it really put my mind at ease so I knew what was happening to me.
ETA: She also created an extremely detailed timeline of everything that went on and took very high quality photos of us after she was born!
I'm sure she would have been wonderful at helping me in early labor at home, but I had to be induced so that didn't happen.
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@grizz: aw that's great to hear! i guess i'm really passionate about the topic. i think it's just because i had such a great experience and it really helped me start off motherhood on the right foot. our doula also went above and beyond what we paid her for... she checked up on us all the time, and made sure breastfeeding was going smoothly. i'm still friends with her now even though we didn't hire her for our 2nd birth. i've referred many people to her, and all of them agreed that hiring her was invaluable and that they'd do it again.
i hope you have a wonderful experience with your doula too!
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our doula was essential! she provided pre-labor resources and was so great at verbalizing support during labor and delivery. she also went on a food run for us after delivery and we still keep in touch! i also second the notes she has to take for DONA. it helped fill in my timeline because i was so all over the place during my quick labor!
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Even though my husband and I took a Bradley class and thought we were prepared, once labor started everything pretty much flew out the window. My labor didn't follow the typical stages and was abnormally long. Honestly I don't think my husband alone would have been able to provide the support that she did. She helped keep me calm and suggested different things to do for positioning. (I walked up a LOT of stairs.) She localized with me during contractions and didn't leave my side except for a couple of quick times. The midwives and nurses are just in-and-out but I thing women need someone who will be by their side. For some reason it's just a comfort.
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She was fantastic about talking through options and procedures with us. The biggest help, though, was that she was a huge support for DH. He felt much more confident having her there.
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@glimmersnaps: I am really glad to know that your doula was key in helping you have a successful Bradley birth! We are in the Bradley classes too and its one of the reasons we hesitated on getting a doula for so long. I just feel like if I don't follow the pattern we learned in the classes I could get panicky or anxious without a doula there. She is in the Bradley classes with me, so I think she will be a great support!
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