Simply put, doulas mother the mother-to-be.
Doulas provide continuous emotional, physical and informational support to mothers and partners before, during and after birth.
Doulas are not midwives. They do not provide any medical support (including vag exams, blood pressure monitoring, medication administration, etc). Rather, doulas provide the constant support often missing in a hospital setting where doctors, midwives and nurses come and go and often go through shift changes.
Birthing women deserve and require consistent, continuous reassurance, comfort, encouragement and respect. Doulas provide this, which rounds out the medical care provided by the hospital staff or homebirth midwife, and the love and companionship provided by the birth partner.
Numerous studies have shown that there are many benefits to having a doula present:
- 50% reduction in the cesarean rate
- 25% shorter labor
- 60% reduction in epidural requests
- 40% reduction in oxytocin use
- 30% reduction in analgesia use
- 40% reduction in forceps delivery
This information was obtained from Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter Easier and Healthier Birth, Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus (1993).
Picture credit: newvisionsmagazine.com
