I think a doula could be immensely helpful in your situation, but clearly, I'm biased!
When I first started working as a doula, I thought the skills that were most important were the physical support that you often provide in longer labor. But having attended some precipitous labors, and just jacked up emotional situations in general, a doula that can "talk you off the ledge" so to speak is just as valuable as one who busts her hump at a 24 hour labor. Especially speaking from personal experience, I hit an extremely rough spot in my last labor, and my doula (who is also my best friend) was so skilled at getting me to think about how to get through things one minute or one contraction at a time vs. getting caught up in "I can't do this, I can't do anything!" I think even arriving an hour into a 2.5 hour labor and providing great emotional support would be totally helpful. I guess it also depends on how you feel like you'll be handling a labor that short. I used to think short labors were easy, now I know they can be among the hardest.
Also, knowing you have your son to take care of and DH far away, I think the mental reassurance you might gain from hiring someone would be worth it even if she does very little labor support. Those last weeks can be really anxious and harrowing and anything you can do to get in a more relaxed head space is totally worth it IMO.
When I first started working as a doula, I thought the skills that were most important were the physical support that you often provide in longer labor. But having attended some precipitous labors, and just jacked up emotional situations in general, a doula that can "talk you off the ledge" so to speak is just as valuable as one who busts her hump at a 24 hour labor. Especially speaking from personal experience, I hit an extremely rough spot in my last labor, and my doula (who is also my best friend) was so skilled at getting me to think about how to get through things one minute or one contraction at a time vs. getting caught up in "I can't do this, I can't do anything!" I think even arriving an hour into a 2.5 hour labor and providing great emotional support would be totally helpful. I guess it also depends on how you feel like you'll be handling a labor that short. I used to think short labors were easy, now I know they can be among the hardest.
Also, knowing you have your son to take care of and DH far away, I think the mental reassurance you might gain from hiring someone would be worth it even if she does very little labor support. Those last weeks can be really anxious and harrowing and anything you can do to get in a more relaxed head space is totally worth it IMO.