Doulas for fathers-to-be

Photo: Zenfound.wordpress.com

Mothers-to-be: when giving birth to your next requisite Park Slope baby, don't forget about the needs of your male half. As the doula wipes the sweat from your brow and handfeeds you ice chips, make sure your man has the same treatment during these intense hours.

For just $200 you can hire a Craigslist "dudela," a doula to hold the hand of fathers-to-be through the metaphorical pain of perineal tears. The (presumably fake) ad offers men non-medical support during their wife's labor. A dudela will handle all texts and phone calls during the delivery, update your Facebook status on your wife's dilation progress and tweet the announcement of your child's crowning moment. Not to mention, handle all up to the minute sport updates so fathers can really be in the moment.

Mommy blog Cafemom had their birthing panties in a bunch after reading the ad, even missing a joke to preach about the doula's powers.

A doula empowers, educates, encourages. A doula doesn't come in and actually give birth for you.

Even better were all the site's comments:

"If I had a husband who needed a dudela, he wouldn't be in my labor room.  While he's being updated on sports scores or texting friends I would be distracted and angry that he could think about anything but what I'm in the middle of.  It would not end well for him lol.  I'm not saying that men who do those things are bad partners, just that they wouldn't be attending my birth."

"If my hubby needs this he can stay home. My hubby has a high priority job and when I was in early labor I told him to go to lunch with a buddy and make a few phone calls, it can get boring for the guy and I don't need his full attention during early labor. It was nice having some me time with my soon to be newborn."

"Makes me ill. Literally. Sad thing is I am positive it is NOT a joke considering it was NYC where you saw the ad I would bet you could find similar ones in LA or San Francisco FOR SURE!... Once again we have something else to lend favor to our new and pussified class of men called "Metrosexuals". GROSS! Please let me know when someone has come up with something to MANIFY our men again, and has officially done away with the part chick part man version currently hopping around our planet... Ya know who I am talking about, the men like Rachael Zoe's "husband". I am convinced that she only married him because he is as close to a gay (Man)  partner as she can get in the hetero world... Thanks, but I will take my husband who ACTS like a man, needs to be told farting is not sexy, and that it's time to replace his wholly lookin shirts. ;-) AT least I don't ask my husband if he needs tampons when I go out..."

What do you think? If dudelas are a real thing, would you hire one to support your husband during your during labor? Are his and her doulas ridiculous?