I’m speaking from observation, knowing they do a whole lot more, but these are the most obvious tasks I’ve witnessed while sharing the room with them. Doulas on the other hand, we don’t even touch equipment other than the bed, towels/wash cloths.. we might turn on the shower. We are in tune with the emotional needs of the client as well as her physical needs but we aren’t going to be asked to actively save lives if needed. 

My point is, we don’t need to be as rested as a nurse does. When I’m meeting a client at the hospital at midnight (with very little sleep if any), I’m not going to leave them at 7am because I haven’t slept all night. We stay with you. Yes, we are tired and yes we have to be mentally strong to make it through that hard 4-6am before-the-sun-rises-new-day, but we are there for the long haul. Doula agencies and some doula practices have a 12-14 hour clause in their contracts for their doulas to switch out for rest but that still means they are up with you all night and into the next morning sometimes staying up and awake 30+ hours with you in support of your labor. It’s hard, but not as hard as what the laboring mom is experiencing. This is vital to keep in mind.

So what is the most common question that a nurse will ask me during a longer labor? It’s “Aren’t you exhausted?” And then followed sometimes by “Do you ever go home”. Yes, we do, eventually, and we sleep well. Send all of the coffee.

Lisa