1. We mentioned yesterday that generally, anything that will put the woman giving birth more at ease is permitted to do on Shabbat. For this reason, it is permitted for another person to accompany her to the hospital even on Shabbat, so she has the support she needs (Chazon Ish, Kovetz Igrot 141; Igrot Moshe, O.C. 1:132). Aside from this, today, a person accompanying any patient can also be very helpful in making sure she gets the medical care she needs, since the hospital staff can be quite busy at times [the same allowance to have another person accompany them applies as well to other patients who are allowed to travel to the hospital on Shabbat as well) (Shemirat Shabbat K'hilchatah 40:82).

2. If a woman giving birth feels the need to have two people accompany her to the hospital, such as her husband and her mother, some poskim discourage this on Shabbat in most cases, and feel that it is not necessary, while others disagree (see Peninei Halacha 27:8). For example, some hold that a doula should not be allowed to travel in a car separately to the hospital on Shabbat, as they feel that there is no reason why a doula and husband both need to violate Shabbat to join her in the hospital. However, other poskim claim that if the doula’s presence is truly desired by the woman in labor and will indeed impact significantly on having a safe and calm birth, then both the husband and doula may come. The doula should try to minimize her violation of Shabbat, such as trying to have a non-Jew drive her instead of a Jew (Peninei Halacha, ibid; Sefer Puah, vol.3, p.261).

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Dedicated by Fran Broder as a zechus for everlasting peace in Eretz Yisrael in the merit of learning Hilchos Shabbos.