During the amazing time of welcoming your baby, much care and attention is placed on the baby. Now, it's your time to be the center of attention. At mercy West Lakes, you'll be offered a birth doula - a woman who specializes in supporting and comforting you during labor.

The Mercy West Lakes Volunteer Birth Doula Program offers volunteer birth doulas that are "on-call" for a 24-hour period each month. Patients who are in active labor and choose to have a birth doula will receive them on a first-come, first-serve basis at no additional cost. Not knowing demand, there will not be a guarantee of no-cost doula services; however, if you would like to guarantee a doula, you may contract with a doula and pay for it out-of-pocket.

For more information on the Mercy West Lakes Volunteer Birth Doula Program or to learn what a birth doula is, click here. You can also contact Sharon DeKock, volunteer birth doula coordinator at (515) 358-8392 or sdekock@mercydesmoines.org.