Doula Support
What is a doula?
A doula is a trained birth companion who provides emotional, physical, and informational support to expectant parents before, during, and after childbirth. Unlike medical professionals, doulas focus exclusively on your comfort, advocacy, and emotional wellbeing throughout your birth experience.
Some benefits of having a doula
Studies have shown that the support of a doula can reduce the length of a labor by an average of 25% (Hodnett, 2013)
Lower cesarean rates: according to multiple studies, the presence of a doula can lower the likelihood of a cesarean birth by 50% and reduce the use of forceps or vacuum-assisted delivery by 40% (Hodnett et al, 2013)
Reduced need of pain medication. Research indicates that having a doula can decrease the likelihood of requesting an epidural by up
Increased satisfaction: a review of research found that woman who had a doula support were 31% more likely to rate their birth experience as positively and 34% more likely to feel that their needs were met during in labor
- Increased breastfeeding success; research suggests that mothers with doula support are more likely to initiate breastfeeding successfully and continue breastfeeding for longer periods. (Bohren et al, 2017)
How is a doula different than a midwife?
A midwife or doctor is responsible for your medical care and delivering the baby. A doula focuses on emotional and physical support. I work alongside your medical team, providing comfort measures, advocating for your birth preferences and helping you navigate the process with confidence. A doula does not deliver a baby, nor do they do medical checks like blood pressure, heart rate of your or your baby or check dilation.
What is the relationship between husbands & doulas
While I have been in some births where the husband was not with us, most the births I attend I get the honor to work as a team with the family. I can bring knowledge, skill and experience that can add to your birth. Your husband brings understanding, history and love that is unique to you both.
Want to read more about this: Check out this story here (then link the section of Stories & Strategies)
Can a doula assist with any kind of birth?
Yes! And I have had the honor of helping moms have an unmedicated natural birth, epidural births and beautiful c-sections. This is your birth and I want to support you along the way.
