"If a Doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it." - John H. Kennell, MD.
DOULAS: Deliverers Of Unconditional Love And Support.
"The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.
A Birth Doula-
-Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
-Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
-Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
-Stays with the woman throughout the labor
-Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decisions
-Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
-Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
-Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level"
-DONA International, What is a Doula?
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“The evidence for doulas comes from more than eleven carefully designed studies: Quite simply, hiring one cuts in half the odds of you having an unnecessary cesarean…In the typical U.S. birthing unit, the doula you bring with you may be the only person whose sole responsibility is to make you more comfortable and to help you labor as effectively as possible.” -Ina May Gaskin
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“In spite of all the modern obstetrical methods to speed up labor – which include the artificial rupture of membranes, augmentation of the strength of contractions with oxytocin, and the use of forceps or delivery by cesarean section – the mothers with the shortest labor in our study were again those women who had a doula present throughout their labor.” -Mothering the Mother
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“Though a friend can certainly be a labor support person, mothers typically have the best results when they hire a professional labor assistant (…also called a ‘labor support doula’…) who in addition to providing comfort and companionship to the laboring mother, has special obstetrical training…Her knowledge of and experience with birthing, and her sole focus on the mother’s needs, make her a unique, and to our minds, an indispensable part of the hospital birth.”
-The Pregnancy Book by Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears, R.N
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“I chose to employ a [doula] because, after doing my homework I realized there was a missing person in the current maternity system…After talking to other mothers about their deliveries, I realized that many first-time mothers are left alone a lot during delivery and don’t really know how to interpret what’s going on in their bodies. My [doula] was the missing link that I needed to keep me centered on my body and to make it work more efficiently, and I think she saved me a lot of pain-literally.
-Linda Hughey Holt, MD
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“You needn’t worry that a doula will replace your partner. A good doula enhances rather than detracts from the father’s participation…Interviewed afterward, fathers uniformly liked have a doula and did not feel that she interfered with their role. Fathers reported that not only did doulas help them help the moms, but many of the doula’s support actions were directed personally at them… Doulas improve physiological and social outcomes.”
-The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
