What is a Doula?

A professional labor assistant, or doula, is gaining popularity as a member of the childbirth team. Doctors, labor nurses, and midwives often must care for more than one laboring woman at a time. A doula supports only one woman throughout her labor. A doula does not replace the partner in any way. She helps him support the mother, and guides the couple as they labor together. While the father-to-be will most likely want to be present for the birth of his baby, he doesn't always feel comfortable being the only support for his partner. Most often, he has never been at a birth before and may not have the knowledge and confidence that everything is going just as it should, even when it is. A doula assists the labor nurse in making suggestions for comfort and in giving encouragement and reassurance to the mother or couple. It is her continuous presence, along with her touch, knowledge, and experience with birth that makes her a valuable addition to the birthing team.

Several studies have found that mothers accompanied to labor by a doula had fewer cesarean births, shorter labors, fewer requests for pain medication and anesthesia, less need for oxytocin to stimulate labor, and less need for forceps to assist birth.

The role of a doula is not new, but the studies showing her value are. We are living in the best of times when we can offer the high technology of this century for research, emergencies, or complications while holding on to the high touch skills of women helping women with birth as they did a century ago.

Prepared Childbirth, The Family Way by Debby Amis and Jeanne Green

Research shows that women who were supported by doulas during labor reported:

labor and birth as less painful
feeling more in control of birth
less anxiety after birth
feelings of increased self confidence
a lower incidence of postpartum depression
increased incidence of breastfeeding at 6 weeks
improved relationships with their partners

The Doula Book by Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus