Doulas say they were removed from delivery room by staff and security during client’s labor
By Chase Houle
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STOCKBRIDGE, Georgia (WXIA) — Two birthing doulas say they were forced to leave a delivery room at Piedmont Henry Hospital while their client was in active labor, sparking questions about hospital policy and patient rights.
Shira Lawrence and Jetaime McKinney say they were acting as birth doulas for a mother delivering at the hospital. Doulas are trained professionals who support pregnant women by offering education, advocacy, and emotional support before and during childbirth.
In a video recorded during the encounter, the mother can be heard telling staff she wants the doulas to remain in the room. However, Lawrence and McKinney say they were still escorted out.
“We were stripped of our rights. It felt like we weren’t safe. It felt like anything could have happened to us, and there was no one to advocate or protect us, and that’s the job we show up to do is to help others,” Lawrence said.
The doulas say the conflict began over the mother’s delivery preferences.
According to Lawrence and McKinney, the mother wanted to deliver the baby naturally. However, they say the doctor recommended a C-section because the baby was in a flipped position.
“She has the right to personal autonomy of her body and she said, ‘I don’t want to be cut, I want to labor and do my best to have this baby vaginally and she deserves that right,'” McKinney said.
The doulas say the mother was not refusing care and that neither the baby nor the mother was experiencing medical complications at the time.
In a video from the incident, hospital staff can be heard telling the doulas they were being removed because of the facility’s visitor policy.
However, Piedmont Henry Hospital’s labor and delivery visitor policy states that “two visitors and a doula, if applicable, may be present in the labor room at one time.”
11Alive’s Chase Houle reached out to Piedmont Hospital for its perspective on what happened, and a spokesperson sent this statement:
“Although we do not comment on specific cases due to our commitment to patient privacy, we can say that our priority is enabling good outcomes for our patients by providing safe, quality care.”
McKinney says removing them from the room went against the type of care the hospital says it provides.
“Safe and quality care doesn’t mean taking the support people that she hired to come into a space and support her and advocate for her and love on her in this experience and to put them out,” McKinney said.
According to the doulas, the mother did ultimately end up getting a C-section when she was 10 centimeters dilated.
Both she and the baby are home and doing fine.
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