Services & Non-Medical Disclaimer

This Services & Non-Medical Disclaimer explains what doula support is — and what it is not.

What a doula does

Doulas provide non-medical physical, emotional, informational, and practical support during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. That includes comfort measures, positioning, emotional presence, help understanding your options so you can ask your provider better questions, practical postpartum support, and support with feeding.

What a doula does not do

Our doulas do not provide medical or clinical care. Specifically, they do not:

• Diagnose any condition or interpret test results
• Perform clinical assessments, including vaginal exams, blood pressure readings, or fetal heart rate monitoring
• Deliver babies or provide midwifery or nursing care
• Prescribe, administer, or advise on medication, supplements, or treatment
• Make medical decisions for you or speak to your provider on your behalf
• Provide medical, mental health, or lactation-consultant clinical advice

Your decisions are yours

Doulas provide information and support so you can make your own informed choices in partnership with your healthcare provider. Your doula will not make decisions for you, will not advocate against your provider, and will support the choices you make whatever they are.

No guarantee of outcome

We cannot and do not guarantee any particular birth experience, birth outcome, labor length, level of intervention, feeding outcome, or postpartum experience. Birth is unpredictable. Doula support is well-studied and helpful; it is not a guarantee. Nothing on this website should be read as a promise about how your birth or postpartum period will go.

About our doulas

Our doulas are trained and experienced independent professionals who contract with Hip to Heart. Training and certification requirements vary by doula and by the certifying organization involved. We are happy to tell you about the background of the doula matched to you.

On-call and backup

Birth does not run on a schedule. We maintain backup coverage so that a doula is available to you, but we cannot guarantee that a specific individual will attend your birth. Backup arrangements are explained in your service agreement.

This website is general information

Anything we publish here about pregnancy, birth, feeding, or postpartum recovery is general information, not advice for your situation. It is not a substitute for care from your own provider, who knows your history. Do not delay seeking medical care because of something you read here.

Contact