We didn't have a doula but my sister was our support person for the birth of both our girls. She was truly amazing and I hope she'll be there for any future births we have. So if you have someone close who is calm, supportive and had experience with birth, then IMO they can be just as beneficial. My sister had two very different births with her boys and her second was an amazing drug free water birth. She really inspired me given how traumatic her first had been. She was exactly the sort of person I needed to keep me focused and having been through childbirth before, she seemed to know exactly what to do and say at exactly the right time.

Good luck!