What is a Doula?

What is a Doula?

Doula comes from the Greek word meaning "woman's servant." Today the word doula is used to describe a woman who provides information, emotional and physical support to a pregnant woman and her partner before, during and immediately after childbirth. A Doula is not a medical person - not a doctor, nurse or midwife. She does not do anything clinical, but is there for the emotional and physical support of the mother and her partner, if applicable.

My own philosophy as a Doula is to help you to achieve the birth that you desire and to guide you along the way with information to accomplish it. I am all about choices, and will respect yours

What a doula can do for you.

* Decreases anxiety and tension
* Increases acceptance of the baby
* Shortens labor
* Enhances the maternal/infant bond
* Increases positive feelings about labor
* Decreases neonatal problems
* Decreases need for medication
* Increases feelings of control
* Decreases intervention
* Decreases postpartum depression
* Decreases cesareans
* Enhances self-confidence & self-esteem

The benefits of continuous Doula support during labor have been shown in data from meta-analyses of twelve trials and cited in numerous books, including Mothering the Mother by Marshall H. Klaus, M.D., Phyllis M. Klaus, M.Ed., and John Kennell, M.D. These sources report that the use of a Doula can result in increased breastfeeding success, greater partner confidence, and higher maternal satisfaction. Furthermore, the results show the following:

* 71% decrease in pitocin use
* 60% decrease in epidural use
* 57% decrease in forceps use
* 51% decrease in cesarean birth
* 35% decrease in narcotic use
* Labor length is reduced by an average of 98 minutes

"Women's strongest feeling [ in terms of their birthings], positive and negative , focus on the way they were treated by their caregivers"
- Annie Kennedy and Penny Simkin