DOULA ( doo'lah)

Doula comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "woman’s servant".

Today, a doula is a professional care provider who understands and trusts the birth process and has confidence and respect for a woman’s ability to give birth. She helps facilitate the birth experience for the parents, baby, and primary care providers before, during and after the birth.

Nine Reasons why to have a Doula.

Numerous studies have shown that the continuous support of a doula during childbirth has the following effects:

Shorter labors.
Fewer complications and interventions.
Reduced cesarean rates.
Women request less pain medication and epidurals.
Mothers experience less postpartum depression.
Greater satisfaction with childbirth.
Mothers feel more affectionate and bond more quickly with their babies.
Babies have shorter hospital stays.
Babies breastfeed more easily.

Women supported by a doula during labor have been shown to have:

50% reduction of cesarean rate
25% shorter labor
60% reduction in epidural requests
30% reduction in analgesia use
40% reduction in forceps delivery

From Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier and Healthier Birth
~ Marshall H. Klaus (Perseus Press, 1993)

Things you can expect from a Doula

will provide education about the birth process
will help expectant parents formulate their goals for their baby’s birth and work cooperatively with them to realize these goals.
will provide practical suggestions to help mothers relax while working with contractions, including emotional encouragement, labor positions, massage, and other labor support techniques.
will encourage the mother’s spouse/partner to participate more confidently and fully in the birthing experience.
will promote woman-centered, non-technical childbirth as the safest possible choice for mothers and babies.
will positively support the family in their choices and stay with them when changes or unexpected outcomes occur in their birth plan.

Things a Doula does not do...

does not provide medical advice
does not do medical examinations
does not assess the mother or infants health
does not replace the father or birth partner
does not tell the mother what she should do
does not speak for the mother