Having a Doula

Have you ever considered having a Doula for your birth?

Then again you may wondering what is a doula?

We are here to answer your questions and help you determine if a birhting doula would benefit you and your baby.

What is a Doula?

The word Doula comes from the Greek and it means: servant woman or slave.

Birthing doulas are advocates and listening ears for you - the birthing mother - as well as a helper to your baby's father.

A Doula, usually a woman, has gone through a thorough doula education program and she is knowledgeable about childbirth and the postpartum experience - the time after the birth.

What a Doula Does?

A birthing Doula accompanies you in labor and is there to "mother the laboring mother" - you - in order to take care of your emotional and your physical needs throughout your childbirth experience.

A postpartum Doula takes care of your needs after the birth of your baby. She usually comes to your home after the birth and helps you with domestic things as well as as breastfeeding, taking care of the umbilical cords and any other questions you may have.

Benefits Of Having A Doula at Your Birth

Having a doula for your birth is a wonderul asset for a Doula provides support and suggestions that can enhance your natural childbirth experience.

The skills that Doulas develop are medically proven to make a true difference in your experience of birth.

Indeed, in a study published in JAMA - the Journal of the American Medical Association - Doctors J. Kennell, M. Klaus, S. McGrath, S. Robertson and C. Hinkley found that:

In two studies, it was proven that the continuous presence of a supportive companion - a birthing doula - during labor and delivery shortened labor and reduced the need for cesarian sections and other interventions.

In a US hospital with modern obstetric practices, 412 healthy nulliparous - never had a baby - women in labor were randomly assigned to a support group that received the continuous support of a birthing doula or an observed group that was monitored by an inconspicuous observer.

The results?

Two hundred and four women were assigned to a control group after delivery. Continuous labor support - having a doula - significantly reduced the rate of cesarean sections and forceps deliveries:

Assisted Deliveries:

Supported group, 8%

Observed group, 13%

Control group, 18%

Epidurals for spontaneous vaginal deliveries varied across the three groups as well:

Supported group, 7.8%

Observed group, 22.6%

Control group, 55.3%

Oxytocin use - aka Pitocin, duration of labor, prolonged infant hospitalization, and maternal fever followed a similar pattern.

The conclusion: "The beneficial effects of labor support - having a doula - underscore the need for a review of current obstetric practices."

A growing body of research shows that having a doula has clear benefits for you and your family during childbirth and postpartum, with no known risks.

The value of providing you with continuous emotional support, physical comfort, and encouragement has been recognized worldwide.

According to the World Health Organization, a doula provides:

Support consisting of praise

Reassurance

Measures to improve your comfort

Physical contact such as rubbing your back and holding your hands

Explanation of what is going on during your labor and delivery

A constant friendly presence

A report from The Medical Leadership Council in Washington D.C. shows that:

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada says:

There are numerous studies on the effects of support during labor.

Considering the outcomes reported in at least 4 studies - involving a minimum of 1,000 women - laboring mothers who received continuous support were less likely than women who did not to:

Have regional analgesia

Have any analgesia/anesthesia

Give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps

Give birth by cesarean

Report dissatisfaction or a negative rating of their experience

Laboring moms receiving continuous support were more likely than those who did not to give birth spontaneously - that is, with neither cesarean nor vacuum extraction nor forceps.

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