Why would you want a doula?

Because you and your little one have a very big day on the horizon

What is a doula?

1. •The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
   

2. 
   

Birth Doula

1. •Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier, and they breastfeed more easily. A birth doula:
   

2. •Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
   

3. •Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
   

4. •Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
   

5. •Stays with the woman throughout the labor
   

6. •Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decisions
   

7. •Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner, and her clinical care providers
   

8. •Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
   

9. •Allows the woman's partner to participate at his or her comfort level
   

10. 
    

Postpartum Doula

1. •Research evidence shows that the quality services of a postpartum doula can ease the transition that comes with the addition of a baby to a family, improve parental satisfaction, and reduce the risk of mood disorders. A postpartum doula:
   

2. •Offers education, companionship and nonjudgmental support during the postpartum fourth trimester
   

3. •Assists with newborn care, family adjustment, meal preparation and light household tidying
   

4. •Offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents, and makes appropriate referrals when necessary
   

Doulas do NOT

1. •Perform clinical tasks such as, but not limited to, vaginal exams, assessing fetal heart tones, or perineal massage
   

2. •Diagnose medical conditions, offer second opinions, or offer medical advice
   

3. •Make decisions for the client or project their own values or goals onto the pregnant or laboring woman
   

4. •Discourage the mother from her choices, including the choice for pharmacologic pain relief
   

5. •Interfere with medical treatment in the event of an emergency situation

The fact of the matter is that the continuous emotional, physical, and informational support a doula can provide actually helps you and your little one have a safer, healthier birth experience, and that can make a difference for the rest of your lives. Though this truth is echoed over and over again by women’s telling of their birth stories—and honestly, that’s good enough for me—there is also a wealth of research proving what we know instinctively to be true: having a doula matters.

The presence of an individual who can provide constant, educated, and experienced support can dramatically improve the birthing process and outcome. The results of a meta-analysis of six studies* found that continuous labor support resulted in these decreases:

1. ✴Overall cesarean rate by 50%
   

2. ✴Length of labor by 25%
   

3. ✴Use of oxytocin by 40%
   

4. ✴Mothers' requests for pain medication by 30%
   

5. ✴Need for forceps by 40%
   

6. ✴Requests for epidurals by 60%
   

*Kennell and Klaus, 1993, Mothering the Mother

So how does the doula thing work?

The whats, whys and won’ts of doula care from DONA—Doulas of North America

The moment a child is born,

the mother is also born.

She never existed before.

The woman existed,

but the mother, never.

A mother is something

absolutely new.

-Osho

“