What is a doula?

The word ‘doula’— pronounced ‘doo-la’ — is a Greek word meaning ‘woman servant or caregiver’.

It refers to someone who offers emotional and physical support to a woman and her partner before, during, and after childbirth.  A doula believes in ‘mothering the mother’.

Doulas are trained and experienced in childbirth. While they have good knowledge and awareness of the birth process, a doula does not support the mother in a medical role; that is the job of the midwife or doctor. A doula helps to keep birth normal (if that is the wishes of the birthing mother), and is a valuable addition to the birth team.

Should a birth become complicated and require medical assistance, a doula will remain by your side and help in any way possible.  A doula will not make decisions for those she supports, but will assist them through the decision making process. A doula provides balanced information so the couple can make their own choices.

Many women consider doulas to be an absolute necessity, especially for those giving birth in a hospital. Due to the over-medicalization of birth, inductions of labor have skyrocketed, and are partly to blame for the 30% of American babies now born via C-section. Some hospitals sport C-section rates of 50% and higher. This is a shocking statistic, well above the World Health Organization recommendations of 10-15% — after this amount; it doesn’t save any further lives, which is what the C-section was intended for.

A birth doula

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

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

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

•   Stays with the woman throughout the labor

•   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

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

•   Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman’s memory of the birth experience

•   Allows the woman’s partner to participate at his/her comfort level

What are the benefits of having a doula?

Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth

•   Tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications

•   Reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience

•   Reduces the need for Pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans

•   Reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals

Research shows parents who receive continuous support can

•   Feel more secure and cared for

•   Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics

•   Have greater success with breastfeeding

•   Have greater self-confidence

•   Have less postpartum depression

•   Have lower incidence of abuse