WHAT IS A DOULA ...
The word 'Doula' comes from an ancient Greek word that means, 'woman servant'. Doulas have played vital roles in their communities around the world for centuries. The acceptance of doulas in maternity care is rapidly growing among the medical community with regards to the importance of what we do and recognition of the positive contribution we provide to laboring women. The markedly improved physical, and emotional outcomes of a doula assisted labor and delivery for mom, baby, and partner are just a few of the benefits of having a doula attend your birth. Doulas are women who are specially trained in labor and delivery, who provide continuous emotional and physical support, and who provide a variety of non-medical comfort measures before, during, and just after delivery. Anthropology shows that doulas have been helping laboring women for centuries, and while a doula's roots may be deep in history, the fruits of our work are still as sweet as ever today!
Several published studies from around the world have produced similar results in that women who have had continuous support throughout their labor and delivery had significantly better outcomes than those who did not. In brief -- Women who had a doula attend their labor and delivery:
- Experienced shorter labors with fewer complication
- Were 26% less likely to give birth by cesarean section
- Were 41% less likely to give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
- Were 28% less likely to use any analgesia or anesthesia and
- Were 33% less likely to be dissatisfied with or negatively rate their birth experience
Six other studies that investigated postpartum outcomes found women who had a doula attend their birth had the following positive results versus those women who labored without a doula.
- Enhanced Breastfeeding
- Better maternal-infant interaction
- Less postpartum depression, anxiety, and had greater self-esteem
- Higher maternal assessments of their baby when compared to the "standard baby"
- Greater satisfaction with the birth experience and
- A greater satisfaction with their partners participation and support during and after labor and delivery
