What is a Doula?

A professional doula is an important part of a birth team. The word 'doula' is an ancient Greek term referring to a servant. Today, a modern doula is someone, most often a woman, who serves women in the birth process. She is an emotional and physical support to the birthing mother and is a continual caring presence. A doula helps the mother find her own voice and be able to express what she needs to make her birth what she wants. A doula does not replace a partner, the medical staff, or even the mother's own voice, but is a support to all of these and helps negotiate the path to a good birth.

A Doula can provide the following specific services:

Explain the wide variety of medical procedures surrounding birth
Give information regarding healthy pregnancy and early infant care
Suggestions for exercises to make pregnancy more comfortable
Help in preparing a birth plan
Massage and other non-pharmacological pain relief measures
Positioning suggestions during labor and birth
Support for the partner and friends so that they can be an encouraging presence during birth
Knowledge and support to avoid unnecessary interventions
Breastfeeding assistance
A written record of the birth

Why should I choose a Doula?

A doula is a comforting presence, someone who is knowlegable and there for the laboring mother. A doula works directly for the mother, not for the hospital, so she is tuned in to the mother's needs. Aware of the needs and desires of the mother, and the various options and medical interventions possible during a birth, a doula is an excellent conduit for communication between medical staff and the birthing mother.

Women supported by a doula during labor have been shown to have:

50% reduction of cesarean rate
25% shorter labor
60% reduction in epidural requests
30% reduction in analgesia use
40% reduction in forceps delivery

--from the book Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter Easier and Healthier Birth, Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus (1993)

What does a Doula do during a birth?

A doula is there to support the mother in many different ways. She can be present at the mother's home in early labor, helping her to recognize the signs of labor. She walks with her through labor, reducing the risks of unnecessary interventions. She talks through choices that the mother must make regarding medical assistance and possible intervention. She offers alternatives to pain medication, including labor positions, breathing techniques, vocalizations, massage, and relaxation techniques. In addition, after the birth the doula can provide breastfeeding support and postnatal care.