Doula?

So, the crazy thing this week is that I weighed myself and I have lost almost 10 pounds!  I can't believe it.  Whenever I read things on the internet that caused women to lose weight, like anti depressants or short frequent walks, it NEVER applies to me.  This is the first time I've fallen in with the weight losing people!  Makes me feel very dainty. :) Anyways, I think I need to enjoy this because something tells me that this will be one of my last experiences of feeling dainty for a while.  I have recently been considering hiring a doula for my birth.  I'm sure I will talk more about this but I just wanted to mention it.  She will cost 500 pounds and the one I spoke to was not a very good sales person to my husband.  I enjoyed my phone conversation with her, although I noted she was very gung ho about home births.  I'm not against home births, and my husband loves the idea, but I'm not sure I want it for my first birth.  I'm also not really in love with my home, and not sure I want to be here for the birth.  Anyways, she invited us to a homebirth support group, which we attended.  I LOVED it.  There were so many positive birthing stories.  Before this I had only ever heard positive birthing stories from my mother.  It seems like people would rather tell you the most frightening shit they can come up with.  I've always felt bad for pregnant women at baby showers when those stories have gotten started and I am determined to nip them in the bud.  But these stories were just beautiful and I cried at one of them.  Of course, when I cried I looked around hoping to find other kindred hormonal crying spirits, but no, I was the only one crying.  After the first part of the meeting they had a session on doulas and my husband asked what a doula actually did.  This was where the doula I spoke to on the phone and the other doulas in the room epically failed.  They basically said they did "nothing".  I understand that their role is to remain humble and empower and support, but I think they need to take a little credit if they want to make the sale.  My husband felt really put off and felt like they were implying that he couldn't understand because he was just a man.  I didn't take it to that level, but I see why he was annoyed, they did a terrible job.  Of course, if I decide I want a doula he will support me, but his opinion is currently pretty low.  On the walk back to the train station we had a long debate about what we think a doula actually "does" and decided that her role is to try to make a calm and natural experience as calm and natural as possible from within a context or setting that is mistreating birthing as a medical emergency.  My husband thinks he can play this role.  I think he can too, but I feel like he shouldn't have to, and that if I had a mother or best friend nearby, she could do what the doula would do, but since I don't, I think I would like to have a wise woman with experience hushing the extra chatter in the room and keeping me focused.  Anyways, still very early days, so I'll think about it more.  Oh, I also heard about "hypno birthing" at the class and I'm sold!  I don't know much about it yet, but if I got good at it, I might be able to keep myself focused and block out the medical setting, so I will explore it further.