Benefits of Doulas
Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth:
- Tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
- Reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
Reduces the need for pitocin, forceps or vaccum extraction and cesareans
Reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals
Research shows parents who receive support can:
Feel more secure and cared for
Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
Have greater success with breastfeeding
Have greater self-confidence
Have less postpartum depression
Have lower incidence of abuse
Doula Statistics:
- 25% shorter labor
- 60% reduction in epidural requests
- 40% reduction in oxytocin use
- 30% reduction in analgesia use
- 40% reduction in forceps delivery
A Doula:
- Recognizes birth as a key life experience that the mother will remember all her life
- Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
- Assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth
- Stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor
- Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint and assistance to the woman in getting the information she needs to make good decisions
- Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and clinical care providers
- Perceives her role as one who nurtures and protects the woman's memory of her birth experience
Source: Mothering the Mother, Klaus 1993
More articles about doulas:
Dads and Doulas: Working Together
The Value of Labor Support
A Doula Makes the Difference!
"If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it." - John Kennell, MD