* Doulas (also called Childbirth Assistants, Labor Support Professionals, Birth Assistants, or Birth Companions) provide emotional, physical and informational support during pregnancy, labor, birth and immediate postpartum. * A Doula does not replace the partner. Instead she helps support the partner so that he or she can love and encourage the laboring woman. * A Doula provides continuous, uninterrupted support throughout labor and delivery. She offers massage, suggestions for position changes, relaxation techniques, reminders to stay hydrated and keep her bladder empty. She also believes in a woman's ability to birth her baby.