“One of the most positive developments in maternity care is the addition of the birth doula, who guides and supports women & their partners continuously through birth and labor.” Penny Simkins
What's A Doula?
"A doula is a professional trained in childbirth who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother who is expecting, is experiencing labor, or has recently given birth. The doula’s purpose is to help women have a safe, memorable, and empowering birthing experience. "
source: http://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/having-a-doula/
What Does A Doula Do?
A birthing doula helps you have a positive and safe birth experience. Your doula can help you create a birth plan that’s right for you and teach you how to advocate for yourself during birthing. Whether you are having a home birth, a hospital birth, or in a birthing center, a doula can support you before your midwife arrives or before you go to the hospital by helping you be as comfortable as possible and reassuring you that everything is normal so you can focus on birthing!
A birth doula can help with:
- Creating a birthing plan
- Letting you know when it’s time to go to the hospital or birthing center
- Breathing techniques
- Relaxation techniques
- Birthing positions
- Massage for comfort
- Taking photographs
- Taking the place of your husdband/partner when he or she needs to rest, eat, or use the bathroom
What Are The Benefits Of Having A Doula?
Many studies have shown that the addition of a doula to a woman’s birth team can benefit the mother in numerous ways.
Benefits include:
- More likely to have spontaneous vaginal births
- Less likely to have any pain medication, epidurals, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, C-sections
- Increased chance of a positive childbirth experience
- higher breastfeeding success rate
- better maternal self esteem
- lower blood pressure during labor
- less pain experienced
