Why a Doula?
A doula is someone who provides emotional and physical support as well as resources and guidance through pregnancy, birth and the immediate postpartum period. They hold space for the tough moments and they celebrate the amazing ones. They provide non-medical evidence-based resources to guide you through the experience, letting you lead the way in making the best decisions for you and your family.
A common misconception is that a doula is only necessary during a home birth or non-medicated one. In fact, doulas are useful for all birth experiences and those first few weeks home with your newborn.
You may have guessed this work is not new; women have historically provided this type of support to parents for centuries. But in America and especially in the last 100 years or so, doulas have not been a significant part of the birth experience for most families.
That is, until recently. The doula is having a moment right now. Doulas are becoming more common in urban areas and some rural towns as women and men start to realize that we were never meant to do this alone and the more support and people cheering you on and guiding you through this amazing period of your life, the better.
So, what are some of the benefits of having a doula on your birth team?
Reduce stress and fear: Doulas are experienced in the birth process and can provide a calming presence for the birthing person and their partner. While doctors or midwives and nurses will be focused on the medical aspects of labor, labor can be long and they will likely have other patients to attend to. A doula stays with the birthing couple throughout the labor process providing constant emotional and physical support and a reassuring, comforting perspective.
Guide and reassure birth partners: The person you choose to be in the room during labor can be a husband, wife, life partner, mother, sibling, or friend. Whomever they are they are there because they love the person giving birth and the baby. However, labor support often requires more than one person. Labor can be long, it can be intense and a little overwhelming if you don’t know what to expect. In the intense moments, you can also forget all the comfort measures you were taught in the childbirth class. The birth partner needs reassurance, advice and help, too. A doula can help in these ways:
Guide you and remind you of the information you learned in the childbirth class
Step in to support when you need a nap, a meal or a break if labor goes into the night
Replenish drinks, hot packs or ice for the person in labor so you don’t have to step away
Help provide perspective on what the laboring person is doing or feeling to help interpret the different stages of labor
A doula’s non-medical care can improve clinical outcomes: Studies show that laboring with a doula results in lower cesarean rates, shorter labors, fewer requests for pain meds, greater satisfaction with the birth and fewer newborns who need extra nursing care.
