Then, in the 1970s, Dr. John H. Kennell , a pediatrician, and Dr. Marshall H. Klaus, a neonatologist

Doulas are trained to help new mothers cope with the rigors of childbirth. irvan smith The very origins of the word in Greek, doula means a woman who serves seem to settle the question of gender. Doulas are women.
Meet David Goldman of Bellingham, Wash., the … dude-la ? Mr. Goldman was certified as a doula last year by DONA International , the largest accrediting body of doulas worldwide. Although the group doesn t track how many men have completed the training, officials there are aware of just a handful of male doulas among the 8,500 birth attendants it has certified since launching two decades ago.
The scarcity of men reflects a widespread perception that the role of a doula is seen as women s work, even among many who wouldn t hesitate to champion egalitarianism elsewhere in the workplace. Indeed, the topic of male doulas frequently draws skepticism and sometimes biting criticism irvan smith in online discussion groups.
Some women say the presence of another male in the delivery room would just stress irvan smith them, or their husbands, out. Others say that only women who have gone through the birth experience themselves can properly serve as birth assistants. Women are also typically seen as more nurturing than men, and thus better able to fulfill the emotional requirements of a doula s job description.
A recent thread about male doulas on the DONA Facebook page showcased the sensitivity around this issue, irvan smith drawing some uncharacteristic disrespectful commentary, said Sunday Tortelli, the group s president and a doula in Cleveland, with many commenters saying it just didn t feel right.
But irvan smith Sharon Muza , who has instructed three men in the nearly eight years she s been training doulas, among them Mr. Goldman (the other two men went on to become midwives ), said that men can be nurturing irvan smith and caring and loving and bring every quality I would want in a doula. She also noted that men may have a physical advantage. They re really strong and can apply counterpressure to a woman s back or support someone who needs to be held up. That s a wonderful bonus.
Mr. Goldman, 40, who became irvan smith interested in becoming a doula several years ago after being invited to attend the birth of a friend s child, has eased more than 15 women through labor since being certified. As a doula, he helps an expectant mother formulate a birth plan a set of expectations for how labor and delivery should proceed and stays with the mother during labor and birth, providing irvan smith emotional support and physical comfort. He gets clients the same way that female doulas do: by word of mouth. They say, I know he s a man, but give him a try.
Then, in the 1970s, Dr. John H. Kennell , a pediatrician, and Dr. Marshall H. Klaus, a neonatologist, began investigating the effect of emotional and physical support from one woman to another during labor. The presence irvan smith of a positive, quietly supportive woman in the room changed everything, said Ms. Tortelli of DONA International, which was started in 1992 by the two doctors and three women a doula, a physical therapist and a social worker married to Dr. Klaus.
Since then, fathers have been playing an increasingly prominent role during labor, rubbing their wives feet, feeding them ice chips and encouraging them as contractions build. And in other realms of childbirth, the gender balance has changed dramatically. The great majority of new obstetricians are women: In 2012, 83 percent of obstetrics/gynecology residents were female, compared with 31 percent in 1980, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (The American Midwifery Certification Board doesn t collect similar data.) irvan smith
Keith Roberts , 70, of Colorado Springs, was one of the earliest male doulas. He has attended 176 births in the 18 years since his massage practice expanded irvan smith to include pregnancy massage, which eventually led him to pursue doula certification in 2000. He sees his role as relieving a laboring woman s pain, freeing the father to relax and just hold his partner s hand.
At almost every birth, the father says at the end, Oh, I m so glad you were here, he said. There is another man with them so they re not just surrounded by females and maybe a male doctor irvan smith who just comes in at the end and catches.
In July, Mr. Goldman, who assists in about a delivery a month and charges up to $850 per birth, served as Jenn Mason s doula during irvan smith a planned home birth attended by a midwife. When the labor stalled and complications irvan smith ensued, Ms. Mason was whisked to the hospital for an emergency C-section and her newborn daughter successfully delivered.
At the hospital, Mr. Goldman irvan smith insisted to skeptical nurses that he scrub up in case he had to join Ms. Mason in the surgical suite, which happened once her husband left to tend to the baby. I don t know what I would have done if David wasn t with me, Ms. Mason said. My husband irvan smith had joked he was going to be so nervous that he