I have done it before, I had a client who was being ripped apart and was bawling her eyes out, and I was so cross I did it. But there was one time before that I ****ed off the Ob big time so much so she spoke to me after the caesarean and told me that I was better suited to homebirth. I have also heard of doulas being banned from hospitals for this.

So how do I advocate for them?

1. You thoroughly understand/learn their birth plan and help them prepare BEFORE the birth of any challenges they might have
2. You prepare dad to be a 'gorilla'
3. You give them tools like BRAND
4. You encourage them to ask for privacy to make any decisions
5. You put the questions onto the couple in a way which is passively advocating, i.e. if they say we want to put the drip up, then I would say to the couple, 'Okay, this isn't in your birth plan so would you like some privacy to talk about it and make a decision?'
6. Adocating is a small part of the job. The massive benefits cited in studies come from a range of things a doula brings to birth. Hopefully a doula has done enough work before the birth to empower her client in preparation for the birth.

etc. etc.

There are loads of doulas flooding into the system at the moment and many don't have much experience. Training is so accessible and navigating the system is so complex, you really need to find an experienced doula with testimonials backing it up. People either say they have an absolutely awesome doula and some say average... so you gotta find the awesome ones.