Hi. I'm still very early in my first pregnancy (9 weeks) but have already been giving a bit of thought to what sort of birth preparation I want.

I'm planning to deliver with an wonderful OB in a private hospital and I'm 100% confident with that plan. DH and I discussed birth a few times before we were pregnant (mainly in terms of who we don't want there) and at the time I think we both just assumed it would just be the two of us. The more I think about it having a doula there seems like a really great idea for extra support. I don't want my DH to feel exhausted and like he has no backup, especially if it's a long first labour. Also I'm quite keen to look into calm-birth/hypno-birth techniques and while I want to give my DH the benefit of the doubt, I know that it's really not going to be 'his thing' if you know what I mean.

I've casually brought up the idea of hiring a doula a couple of times with DH so far and been met with a lot less than enthusiasm. In the end I know he'll support whatever I want to do but I'm looking for some advice on the best ways to discuss it with him so he understands it's not about me doubting his ability to support me, etc. Should I just leave it until later in the pregnancy to discuss it? I don't think the concept of labour has much reality for him yet. On the other hand we're both so busy I want to allow as much time as possible to find the right doula and get to know them a bit.