Episode 190: Unassisted Birth and Doula Autonomy

Most conversations about unassisted birth focus on the family’s autonomy and the right to choose.

This episode looks at the unassisted birth doula’s side of that conversation.

The birth community has plenty of conversations about client autonomy. Very few of them focus on that of the unassisted birth doula.

A doula who says yes to supporting an unassisted birth is making an autonomous choice too. And most of them are saying yes without understanding the potential legal, professional, and personal consequences that may come with it.

There is no universally safe version of saying yes. Intervening if something goes wrong, standing by, leaving, all of it carries consequences most doulas have never considered. And the safety net they depend on when a medical provider is present doesn’t exist there.

Both sides of this arrangement deserve to understand what they are agreeing to before anyone says yes.

Join me as I open up the conversation about doula autonomy that the birth community has been missing.