Should I hire a doula? Most expecting mothers have not asked such a question, yet. It seems, however, a great number of "doula" questions are about to be echoed in ears soon. Before that, the very first question to be posed must be "What is a doula?"Pregnancy and childbirth psychologist Zeynep Kocamaz Öztürk defines in detail what a doula is by beginning from her own childbirth experience. Graduated from the University of Vienna, she wished to deliver through natural birth in the city. However, despite taking up the municipal services offered including birth preparation classes, swimming and gymnastics exercises she ended up having a C-section. What she saw in Vienna impressed her very much; midwives were coddling her, taking care of her meticulously and systematically. When she came back to Turkey, Öztürk began to ask whether it was possible to find a link between midwifery and psychology. While looking for a correlation between midwifery and psychology, by a sheer serendipity she met Neşe Karabekir, a leading pregnancy and childbirth psychologist known for her studies at İstanbul Doğum Akademisi (Istanbul Birth Academy). Öztürk became involved in the studies there, undertook some training like preparing for childbirth and being a doula for nine months and 10 days. And that is how she became a doula.Doula is an ancient Greek word meaning "woman's servant" or "caregiver." Such an authentic reference is now used to describe a woman who offers expecting mothers non-medical information and support during pregnancy, labor, delivery and afterward. Providing non-medical, physical, emotional and spiritual support to mothers, doulas do not perform any clinical intervention. Öztürk makes an analogy to encapsulate what a doula is, saying "Mary [mother of Jesus] grabs a branch of a date tree to get support during childbirth. Being a doula is to be that branch."Doctors and midwives used to be protagonists of a delivery. However, childbirth is a long period during which they may leave the delivery room. The doula fills this gap by standing by the pregnant woman during the whole process. That is why they seem to be among those protagonists regarding active support and information with their alternative techniques focusing on the mother. Before that, Öztürk says doulas help expecting mothers prepare for imminent childbirth with the help of pre-birth classes. During the classes, doulas aid with relaxation, movement and breathing techniques, training on childbirth physiology, stress management plans, messages and so forth. As for the delivery, doulas stand hand-in-hand with mothers to relax them with aromatherapies, available childbirth positions and breathing techniques. Moreover, a doula is a backing figure that helps the mother trust the doctor and the midwife. Through the post-partum period, a doula also visits the mother and baby at home to check the emotional tie between them and breastfeeding routine. Öztürk additionally notes down certain childbirth statistics by analyzing each delivery case as a post-partum doula.She also underpins, as a hypnobirthing practitioner, that "A doula feels what a mother feels during the whole process." Being a childbirth psychologist, Öztürk adds "a mother mostly gets over her own fears about childbirth. There might be some codes left deep marks in the subconscious of mother even from her own childhood. A childbirth psycologist tries to identify those codes to reconstruct."Doulas offer non-medical care, which really distinguishes the role of the doula from medical operations, nuns, midwives and doctors, not only to the mother but also to other family members, especially to the father. Fathers are mostly afraid of delivery for several reasons. By attending pre-birth classes with their wives, they get to understand how real and magical childbirth is.Cesarean section is preferred over natural birth in Turkey compared to European countries. Öztürk emphasizes that 58 percent of childbirth at state-run hospitals are C-sections while the percentage is much higher for private hospitals with a 70 percent rate.Childbirth accompanied by a doula scientifically proves that many factors and rates about the delivery change positively. Öztürk takes reference from Evidence Based Birth, a reputable birth analysis website, indicating that the influence of hiring a doula is as follows:l Cesarean section down by 50 percentl Time of labor decreases by 25 percentl Use of synthetic oxytocin down by 40 percentl Use of pain medications down by 30 percentl Administration of epidurals (an anesthetic placed into the spinal canal to relieve the pain during childbirth) down by 60 percentl Use of forceps down by 30 percentTo conclude, Öztürk underlines that tokophobia (fear of pregnancy and childbirth) has become a part of cultural codes in Turkey, saying "We, Turks, transfer our emotions. As for describing childbirth, we tend to put labor and delivery experiences into words making up some terrifying stories out of them. Thinking of the word 'pang,' for instance, we are inclined to associate it with negative connotations and hypnoses all the time." Since Turks are much affected by emotional contagion, a doula seems to be what expecting mothers are in need of during both pregnancy and delivery. After all, expecting mothers could come up with the prospective question, "Should I hire a doula?"