"A birth doula" refers to a supportive companion (other than a friend or loved one) who is professionally trained to provide labor support. She performs no clinical tasks. A doula provides physical, emotional and information support to women and their partners during labor and birth; help and advice on comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, massage and positioning, assistance to families in gathering information on the course of their labor and their options, continuous emotional reassurance and comfort, non-medical skills such as massage and other non-pharmacological pain relief measures, assistance to partners who want to play an active support role, help so the woman has a safe and satisfying childbirth experience as the woman defines it." - DONA
Benefits of having a doula~
A recent Cochrane Review, Continuous Support for Women During Childbirth, revealed a very high number of positive birth outcomes when a doula was present. When a doula was present, women were less likely to have pain relief medications administered, less likely to have a cesarean birth, and reported having a more positive childbirth experience.
Other studies have shown that having a doula as part of the birth team decreases the overall cesarean rate by 50%, the length of labor by 25%, the use of pitocin by 40% and the request for an epidural by 60%.
"A doula enters the space of a laboring woman and is highly responsive and aware of her needs, moods, changes, and unspoken feelings. She has no need to control or smother. Every pregnant woman should have the benefits of a doula. This person does not detract from the role of the baby's father or co-parent, by the way. It enhances it and leaves him (or her) free to do the very important job of loving the mother." (Christiane Northrup, M.D. Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom)
