What is a doula?

A doula is a trained professional who provides support to individuals during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. A doula's role is to offer emotional, physical, and informational support. They help with things like comfort measures during labor, advocacy for the birthing person's wishes, and guidance on newborn care and postpartum recovery. Doulas aim to create a positive birth and postpartum experience and help families feel empowered and informed throughout the process.

Why have a doula?

Having a doula can offer several benefits for those going through pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period:

1. Emotional Support: Doulas provide continuous emotional reassurance, encouragement, and calm, helping to reduce stress and anxiety.

2. Physical Comfort: They assist with comfort measures during labor, such as helping with breathing techniques, positioning, massage, and relaxation techniques.

3. Informational Support: Doulas offer evidence-based information to help you make informed decisions about your birth plan, options, and what to expect during labor and delivery.

4. Advocacy: They can help communicate your preferences and support your birth plan with medical staff, ensuring your voice is heard.

5. Continuous Presence: Unlike hospital staff, who may come and go, doulas provide continuous support throughout labor and delivery, offering a consistent presence.

6. Partner Support: They help partners feel more involved and provide guidance on how they can best support the birthing person.

7. Postpartum Assistance: Doulas offer support after birth, helping with healing, feeding, newborn care, and adjusting to life with a new baby.

Overall, a doula can help create a more positive and empowered birth and postpartum experience by offering personalized support and guidance tailored to your needs.

Doula statistics

• Having a doula present during a birth has shown to have an overall 52.9% decrease in the risk of cesarean surgery (National Institutes of Health).

• Having a doula for postpartum support after birth has shown to have a 57.5% decrease in rates of postpartum depression/postpartum anxiety (National Institutes of Health).

• Overall, birthing people who received continuous doula support were more likely to have spontaneous vaginal births and less likely to have any pain medication, epidurals, negative feelings about childbirth, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and Cesareans (Evidence Based Birth).

• On average, those who received doula support had less anxiety and lower average pain scores during labor (Evidence Based Birth).