About Birth Doulas

WHAT IS A BIRTH DOULA?

A birth doula is professionally trained in how to assist women and families during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum. She does not perform any medical procedures, but instead provides you with services that offer continuous emotional, physical, and informational support.

A certified doula’s skills include birth plan preparation, pain relief techniques, labor massage, relaxation techniques, effective positioning for labor and birth, acupressure points, optimal fetal positioning, visualization techniques, hydrotherapy, hospital advocacy, breastfeeding support, and much more.

A birth doula does not replace the important role of the father, birth partner, or other family members. Instead, she encourages fathers and birth partners to engage in the process with greater confidence and effectiveness and relieves them of the pressure to know and do everything.

A birth doula is flexible and knows how to navigate birth’s unexpected twists and turns. If unforeseen circumstances should arise, a birth doula remains calm, keeps you informed on what is happening, and helps you adapt to changing circumstances.

A certified doula knows how to work collaboratively with hospital staff even as she advocates for your needs and preferences during labor. A doula works for you, not for the doctor or hospital, so her care can be highly personalized to your individual needs.

A doula is attentive to your hopes and fears, she is respectful of your choices, and she inspires confidence in your ability to labor and birth.

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HOW DOULAS WORK WITH DADS

The role of the father or birth partner during labor is essential. The laboring woman needs to know that her husband or partner is there for her, and that they are on this journey together. A doula encourages fathers and birth partners to be the primary source of emotional support and does not attempt to replace the father's role.

Most fathers are inexperienced with childbirth and unsure of how to offer their loving support during this unique experience. Even the most attentive birth partner may be overwhelmed by the hospital environment, the changes unfolding in the laboring woman, and the emotions that surface in anticipation of the baby's arrival. While childbirth educators do their best to equip fathers with useful information and techniques, it is simply too much to expect birth partners to remember everything and to instinctively know how to assist a woman through labor.

A certified doula’s knowledge, skills, and expertise allow fathers and birth partners to be less pressured and more present. They can be reassured that the doula will offer practical suggestions, information, and techniques as needed, which allows fathers to be much more relaxed, loving, and emotionally present. A doula can also provide physical and informational support while birth partners focus on emotional support, which allows the laboring mother to be cared for on various levels at once.

There are also times when the labor and birth process can be extremely intense or when things may take an unexpected turn. In these circumstances, fathers and birth partners may need as much emotional and informational support as the woman in labor, and a doula can step in to reassure and care for the entire family.

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BENEFITS OF HIRING A DOULA

The many benefits of hiring a certified doula are recognized by the World Health Organization and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Several studies show that a doula’s continuous support, practical knowledge, and labor enhancing techniques help to reduce pain and anxiety in laboring women. When a laboring woman is less frightened and feels less pain, her labor is more likely to progress without the need for interventions.

Research conducted by Klaus, Kennell, & Klaus (1993, 2002) shows that a doula’s presence during labor and birth results in the following positive outcomes:

  • 50% reduction in the rate of cesareans
  • 60% reduction in epidural requests
  • 40% reduction in the use of pitocin (a contraction induction method)
  • 40% reduction in vacuum assisted deliveries
  • 25% shorter labors
  • an increase in successful breastfeeding and bonding
  • a reduction in "baby blues" and postpartum depression
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WHO HIRES A BIRTH DOULA?

Virtually anyone preparing for the experience of labor and birth can benefit from the presence of a birth doula, including:

People Who Desire A Natural Childbirth

A certified birth doula is well equipped to effectively support parents’ efforts to avoid pain medications and interventions and to have a normal vaginal delivery. A doula’s skill set is made up of emotional, physical, and informational tools designed to help you achieve the experience of natural childbirth within a hospital setting.

People Striving For A Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)

A birth doula may be the most important and effective resource available to parents striving for a VBAC. Not only does a birth doula know how to help you avoid unnecessary interventions that may lead to another cesarean, but she also knows how to help you process your previous birth experience as part of your preparation for the VBAC. Previous birth experiences can have a powerful influence on subsequent births, and a doula can offer indispensible reassurance and encouragement as you strive for the VBAC experience.

People Who Want An Epidural

A birth doula can enhance the labor and birth experience of women who desire pain relief medications by providing useful information about epidural procedures, suggesting appropriate stages to receive an epidural, recommending in-bed positions that enhance labor’s progression, offering advise on how to minimize the "cascade effect" leading to undesired interventions, and assisting with the important transition into bonding and breastfeeding.

People With High Risk Pregnancies or Births

Some pregnant women have a higher risk of encountering labor and birth complications due to conditions such as hypertension, pre-eclampsia, diabetes, etc. A certified doula can help relieve some of the anxiety and tension generated by these conditions by offering clear information and explanations, by helping you to find additional methods of managing your condition, and by ensuring that you will have continuous support throughout your labor and delivery.

People Who Want A Homebirth

In a homebirth setting, a birth doula can provide ongoing emotional and physical support while your midwife focuses on your medical care. She can also help family members set up the birthing tub, prepare the birth/postpartum bed, clean up after the birth, and help with immediate postpartum needs and desires.

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HOW DOULAS WORK WITH MEDICAL STAFF

A certified doula does not perform any medical procedures, but she does work collaboratively with the hospital staff to create a supportive team atmosphere during your labor and birth.

An experienced doula knows how to create good rapport with your nurses, midwives, and doctors while simultaneously advocating for your choices, needs, and desires.

A doula helps you to voice your needs and wishes without becoming confrontational or disrespectful, and she works to maintain the delicate balance between respecting hospital protocols and ensuring your autonomy.

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DOULA VIDEOS

In the following videos, parents describe their experiences of working with a birth doula: