Doula
by Pan
“Now,” the short woman said with a smile. “Are you both aware of what a doula does?”
The couple glanced at each other.
“Yes,” the man said. “You help with the birth.”
“Sort of, yes. But not in the way you might think. Where the midwife and the doctors will be there to help with the medical side of things, I’m more here for emotional support. And not just for your wife; I’m here to support both of you, as a couple.”
“Oh,” the man said.
“That sounds a little vague, I know, but the process of having a baby can be very exhausting. My role is to be there for whatever you—either of you—need. During the birth, before the birth, or straight after.”
“Okay,” the man said. “Great.”
“Now, I normally see my clients once before the birth, then I’m there for the entire childbirth, and then once or twice after the baby arrives. I see here that you’ve requested weekly visits?”
“It’s our first time,” the man said.
“I completely understand,” the short woman beamed. “It’s a big step! I’m more than happy to see you every week until the baby gets here. Before we start, do you have any questions?”
“Just one,” the man said. “What sort of support do you offer?”
“Having a baby can be very stressful,” the doula said, her rehearsed patter flowing off the tongue. “A lot of couples find the stress of having a baby causes them to fight a lot. If you like, I can act as a neutral party. During the birth, I’ll be on-hand to get you food, snacks, drinks.
“After the birth—although I’m not a medical professional—I can offer some general advice on how the baby’s doing. Oftentimes, it can be helpful just to hear that what you’re going through is normal. And, of course, I can always offer a hug.”
“I’d like a hug,” the man said. The doula stiffened, but only for a moment—within a few seconds, her body had relaxed, and she wrapped her arms around the expectant father.
“Thanks,” he said shortly. “That helped.”
“I’m glad,” she smiled, and began the standard intake interview.
At the end of the session, the husband asked for an another hug. Again, she stiffened briefly before relaxing into it. This one went longer, and she was starting to feel distinctly uncomfortable by the time she pulled away.
“Thanks,” he said again, his gold tooth glinting as he spoke. “See you next week.”
At the start of their next appointment, the husband once more asked for a hug. The strange feeling of unease again passed through the doula’s body, but it was briefer than last time.
The hug, meanwhile, was almost twice as long.
“Now,” the doula said, sitting down and crossing her legs, “because we don’t normally have an appointment each week, I don’t have anything specific I need to go through. Instead, I’m going to throw it over to you—how are you two feeling? Is there anything that you need?”
The question had been directed at the wife, but the husband stepped in before she had a chance to answer.
“We’re having some troubles,” he said.
“That’s what I’m here to help with,” the short woman responded lightly. “What’s bothering you?”
“It’s sex,” the husband said.
The doula waited for the man to continue, but he just continued to stare blankly at her.
“Okay,” the doula replied, after the pause had grown long enough to make her uncomfortable. “Yes, this is quite a common situation. In my experience, the trouble is rarely sex; it’s intimacy. Men—and I know it’s a stereotype, but it’s true—often use sex as the easiest way of getting intimacy, but there are so many more ways it can be achieved.”
“Like what?”
“Well, just off the top of my head—massage. You could massage your wife’s feet, or her back. I’ve never met a pregnant person who doesn’t like that. And if she’s feeling up to it, she could do the same for you.”
“Can you show us?”
“Of course,” the short woman smiled. “I have an entire cabinet for exactly this…”
Over the next few minutes, the doula unpacked her collection of oils and perfumes, and spoke gently about the hidden benefits of massage. The man watched her intently as she did.
“Do you have any questions?” she asked.
“Oh.” the man said, and the doula felt as though she’d let him down. “That’s it?”
“Well…”
“I thought you were going to show me.”
“Of course,” she said. “Give me your hands, and I’ll walk you through the…”
“No,” he interrupted. “I thought you were going to massage me.”
A flicker of annoyance crossed the doula’s face, but it was gone almost as soon as it had arrived.
“Of course,” she said, her voice calm. “Please; take off your shoes.”
For the next fifteen minutes, she talked the husband through the art of massage, demonstrating on his feet. By the time she was done, the room smelled like lavender.
“Thanks,” he said, and she nodded her head in response. “What else?”
“Pardon?”
“What else could help?”
“Well, intimacy comes in many forms…—“
“What are they?”
The doula closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and counted backwards from five. By the time she was done, her sense of calm had been restored.
“You could try a display of intimacy, like making your wife her favorite food, or watching her favorite movie together. You could make sure that you’re each feeling heard in the relationship. And then, of course, there’s something as simple as saying ‘I love you’, or kissing her.”
“Show me.”
The short woman blinked twice.
“Pardon?”
“That last one. Show me.”
“You want me to show you…a kiss?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know it would be appropriate to kiss you, Mr…—”
“Not me.”
“What?”
“Her.”
Again, the doula paused. Again, her feeling of discomfort grew. This time, the husband broke the silence.
“Show how I should kiss my wife. Please?”
A sense of calm came over the short woman.
“Of course.”
The doula stepped over to the man’s heavily pregnant wife, leaned forward, and gently pressed her lips against the other woman’s.
“That’s it?”
“That’s a kiss.”
“Was it…intimate?”
“Well…“
The doula paused. It hadn’t been a particularly intimate kiss, not really. Before she could respond, the man continued.
“Show me intimate.”
Without hesitation, the doula leaned over to kiss the pregnant woman once more. She ran her hands over the woman’s bountiful curves and neck and moved her tongue into the other woman’s mouth. By the time she was done, both women were flushed.
“Thanks,” he said. “Thanks for your help.”
“Of course,” the doula smiled, slightly flustered. “It’s my pleasure.”
She could feel the man’s erection pressing against her stomach for the entirety of their five-minute goodbye hug.
“Welcome,” the doula said, bracing herself for an overly-long hug.
To her surprise, it didn’t come.
“Please,” she said. “Have a seat.”
The pregnant woman sank gratefully into the chair offered, but the man continued standing.
“We have a lot to go through today, so…—“
“Don’t care about any of that,” the man said. “It didn’t work.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Last week. It didn’t work.”
“What didn’t work?”
“We haven’t had sex all week.”
The doula concealed a smile.
“Ah,” she said gently. “Yes. I’m afraid there must have been a bit of a misunderstanding.”
“I told you our problem. No sex.”
“Yes, but the problem isn’t sex, so much as…—“
“No,” the man interrupted. “It’s sex.”
There was a long pause.
“I see. What does your wife think about…—“
“She agrees,” the man said, interrupting her again. “The problem is sex. Please help.”
“I’m dedicated to help you however I can, but…—“
“Great,” the man said, lowering his pants. “I’d some sex.”
The doula’s eyes widened as the man’s erection came into view.
“Sir! I really must…—“
“Please?”
“Sir, I promise you, I’m…—“
“Are you going to help, or not?”
The silence stretched out, as the doula stared at the erection in front of her. She’d never encountered something like this in her entire career. How could she get them to…—
“Please,” the wife said, staring into the doula’s eyes. “Please, help us with this.”
With a sigh, the doula nodded.
“Very well,” she said. “If this is the best way for me to help with your emotional needs.”
“It is,” the man grunted. “Thanks.”
After several minutes of trying to find a condom, the doula remembered she didn’t keep any in the office. She’d never needed to.
With a sigh, she decided to go without.
As she leaned across a chair, the man positioned himself behind her. Within five thrusts, he was cumming inside her. He pulled out and thanked her again.
“That’s fine,” the doula said, slightly dazed. “Now, I do have quite a long list of stuff to go through today. Shall we begin?”
“Yes,” the man said, wiping his cock on her dress and sitting down behind the desk.
When they were done, the short woman prepared herself for another hug.
Again, the man surprised her.
“Sex?”
“We already had sex,” she said, confused.
“We won’t see you for a week,” he grunted. “You think I should only have sex once a week?”
I suppose not, she thought as he positioned himself behind her again. This time, he lasted substantially longer.
When the couple arrived for their appointment the following week, the doula knew what to expect.
“How’s the sex?” she asked, and the man just shook his head.
This time, she’d made sure to bring some condoms with her. The man grumbled as she put one on him.
The doula had intended to use the appointment to more deeply explore the wife’s emotional needs, but the man just wanted sex. The first two times were as fast as they had been the previous week, but the third was long. The husband insisted that she get naked for it, and spent a lot of time with his head buried in her bosom as he fucked her over her desk.
Finally, after sticking his tongue crudely down her throat, he grunted with orgasm, and filled another condom.
“Thanks,” he said, pulling his pants back up and gesturing to his wife that they should leave.
The doula felt strangely dirty at the end of it. She almost missed the hug.
The next session didn’t go ahead as planned—the wife went into labor just a few days later. The couple had decided to give birth at home, and so the doula spent her time split between fetching water and ice for the wife, helping her breathe, and sucking the husband off. She forgot to bring any condoms with her, and so had offered him a blowjob the first time he’d tried to thrust inside her.
To her surprise, he’d never heard of the concept. After she gave him head for the first time, he stopped trying to fuck her, and was happy to just have her suck his cock several times throughout the course of the childbirth.
By the end of it, the short woman had sore knees, and the couple had a gorgeous baby boy.
“How are you two finding parenthood?” the doula asked, smiling at the couple.
“Sex has gotten better,” the husband said, and her brow crinkled.
“You really shouldn’t be having intercourse so soon after a vaginal birth,” she began, but the husband waved her off.
“No,” he said. “The other thing. With your mouth.”
The smiling new mother nodded, and the doula relaxed. Apparently all she’d had to do was introduce the pair to oral sex.
“Well, that’s great to hear. Now, if there’s anything else…—“
“There is, yeah.”
“Oh, great. What can I do for you?”
“We’ve been thinking about it, and we want a baby.”
“Uh…”
Her eyes flickered down to the newborn infant. The couple glanced at each other.
“Not this baby,” the man said. “Another baby.”
“Oh! Well, I can tell you, the recommendation is to wait at least eighteen months…”
“Now.”
The doula froze.
“Uh…”
“You’ve been so helpful,” the man said.
“I really don’t think…—”
“Please,” the new mother said, staring the doula in the eyes. “Please, help us with this.”