Amy Schumer Opens up About Her Unfair Reason for Firing Doula After Pregnancy

Amy Schumer is opening up about the reason she says she fired her doula and she says it’s not a fair one, and she regrets the decision. The 41-year-old comedian spoke about it during her appearance on the Podcrushed podcast hosted by actor Penn Badgley. She hired Domino Kirke, who is Badgley’s wife, after the 2019 birth of her son Gene. The I Feel Pretty star planned to deliver at a birthing center, but she was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, which is described as extreme morning sickness while pregnant. As a result, she opted for a C-section which she scheduled for 39 weeks.

Schumer hired Kirke as a doula. The relationship didn’t last long. “I suddenly was like, ‘I’m good and I don’t need a postpartum doula anymore,” Schumer said, Today Show reports. “The truth was, and this is pretty unfair to her, after I had Gene and I was recovering from a C-section,” she told Badgley, “Domino is like a goddess. She’s an actual floating Siren around the house. And she’s so lovely, and when she touches you, like you just kind of melt. She was really a family member.”

Schumer added: “And, I just felt so vulnerable that I was like, ‘I can’t have this Botticelli goddess floating around my home when I am, like, bleeding out.’ I didn’t have the strength to allow myself the luxury of having her around our home. I was like, ‘I think you can’t come anymore.’”

According to DONA, a doula is “a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.” They often act as birth advocates for the mother to ensure that she achieves the birth she desires. Studies have shown that doulas assist in physical and psychological outcomes for both mother and baby during the process, and have a positive impact on the well-being of the entire family. 

Sometimes, doulas and midwives work together during a woman’s birth. A midwife is a trained medical health professional who helps healthy women during labor, delivery, and post-partum. They are able to deliver babies at birthing centers or at home, as well as assist doctors in hospitals.