What is a Doula?
History of Doulas:
The word doula originates from the Greek word for ‘servant’, and is used to describe a woman experienced in childbirth who assists women as they journey into motherhood through labor and birth. Doulas began to increase in the 1980s after increased rates of Cesarean section were troubling many women. Inviting other women such as friends or childbirth instructors to attend births, women hoped to have someone who would enable them to advocate for themselves to avoid intervention.
The Role of a Doula:
According to DONA (Doulas of North America), doulas are charged with the following:
• Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
• Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
• Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
• Stays with the woman throughout the labor
• Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
• Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
• Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level
• Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decisions
Doulas provide crucial emotional support during labor for women and their partners, and their knowledge allows women to focus on bringing her baby into the world. In labor, doulas offer compassion, empathy and encouragement as they assist women with changing positions, massage, imagery and breathing to help women experience less pain and greater satisfaction.
Doulas DO NOT provide clinical or medical support or advice at any time.
Effects on Birth Outcomes:
Effects on the Mother:
Effects on the Baby:
Effects on the Health Care System:
-The Medical Leadership Council (an organization of over 1200 U.S. hospitals)
-The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada
*Mothering the Mother, How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier and Healthier Birth, by Kennell, Klaus, and Kennell (1993)
The word doula originates from the Greek word for ‘servant’, and is used to describe a woman experienced in childbirth who assists women as they journey into motherhood through labor and birth. Doulas began to increase in the 1980s after increased rates of Cesarean section were troubling many women. Inviting other women such as friends or childbirth instructors to attend births, women hoped to have someone who would enable them to advocate for themselves to avoid intervention.
The Role of a Doula:
According to DONA (Doulas of North America), doulas are charged with the following:
• Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
• Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
• Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
• Stays with the woman throughout the labor
• Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
• Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
• Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level
• Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decisions
Doulas provide crucial emotional support during labor for women and their partners, and their knowledge allows women to focus on bringing her baby into the world. In labor, doulas offer compassion, empathy and encouragement as they assist women with changing positions, massage, imagery and breathing to help women experience less pain and greater satisfaction.
Doulas DO NOT provide clinical or medical support or advice at any time.
Effects on Birth Outcomes:
- Labors are 25% shorter.*
- There are fewer complications.
- Cesarean rates are reduced by 50%.*
- There is 40% less need for oxytocin to speed up labor.*
- Need for forceps is reduced by 40%.*
- Women request 30% less pain medication and 60% fewer epidurals.*
Effects on the Mother:
- Greater satisfaction with their birth experience.
- More positive assessments of their babies.
- Less postpartum depression.
Effects on the Baby:
- Babies have shorter hospital stays with fewer admissions to special care nurseries.
- Babies breastfeed more easily.
- Mothers are more affectionate to their babies postpartum.
Effects on the Health Care System:
- The cost of obstetrical care is dramatically reduced.
- Women are pleased with the personalized care doulas offer.
- The Benefit of continuous support in labor is recognized by:
-The Medical Leadership Council (an organization of over 1200 U.S. hospitals)
-The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada
*Mothering the Mother, How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier and Healthier Birth, by Kennell, Klaus, and Kennell (1993)
