Why use a Doula?

Why use a doula?

Birth doulas mother the mother

Women have many needs during labor and the weeks that follow. In addition to medical care and the love  provided by their partners, women need consistent, continuous reassurance, comfort, encouragement and respect. They need individualized care based on their circumstances and preferences.

Birth doulas are educated and have experience in helping women during childbirth. They provide physical (non-medical), emotional and informational support to women and their partners during labor and birth. We offer a loving touch, positioning and comfort measures that make laboring women and families feel nurtured and cared for.

Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth:

• tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
• reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
• reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
• reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals

Research shows parents who receive support can:

• Feel more secure and cared for
• Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
• Have greater success with breastfeeding
• Have greater self-confidence
• Have less postpartum depression
• Have lower incidence of abuse