Erin Luben, MPH, CD(DONA)

I have two children, ages 1 and 3.  I had a beautiful, peaceful, hospital birth with a midwife for my first and a rather difficult, stressful cesarean with my second.  So I have experienced two very different births, and personally understand the implications that a woman's birth has on her relationship with her child and on her emotional wellness and self-confidence.

I see my role as a doula during labor as one who provides support to not only the mom, but also to anyone whom she chooses to have with her at the birth.  My presence, skill set and knowledge give the partner and other support people the freedom to simply love the mother and be present with her, rather than have to remember and act, while also going through their own intense experience.  I feel like we often forget that the other parent is also having a baby, and needs to be supported as well.  Naomi Wolf explains the benefit of support for the partner at Ina May Gaskin’s Farm this way: “Because these husbands are supported themselves, they are able effectively to support their wives, and are visibly filled with joy and excitement, in the thick of the action[1]”.

Why am I a doula?

I have always been fascinated by birth.  As a very little girl, I pored over my mother's nursing obstetrics books and could not wait for the day when I would get  to have a baby.

I served in Peace Corps/Honduras as a Health Volunteer from 1996-1998, where I trained traditional birth attendants in sanitary birth practices, recognizing high risk pregnancies and breast feeding support.  I had not really thought about birth in those years between childhood and Peace Corps, but my experiences in Honduras awakened my passion for women's health.  (Yes, I do speak Spanish, but it has been a while since I have spoken it daily).

I returned to the US in 1998 and got my Master in Public Health at Tulane.  Since then, I have worked in both domestic and international public health in STDs, HIV and Maternal & Child Health.

Having my own family opened my eyes to birth in the US context and the need for support of pregnant couples and new families.  I am very fortunate to have a wonderful husband who wholeheartedly supports my passion for being a doula.