What is a Birth/Labor Doula?

A doula is someone who provides continuous, experienced support during labor. Doulas are educated in providing comfort measures, psychological and emotional support. They “mother” you, empower you, comfort you, educate you, encourage you, reassure you and make your birth a much more satisfying, safe experience.

What are the obstetrical benefits to using a doula service? Several important studies have shown that continuous labor support from a doula reduced the odds of receiving analgesia by 31 percent, decreased the use of oxytocin to stimulate labor by 50 percent, forceps deliveries by 34 percent, and cesarean sections by 45 percent! In a randomized study of 416 women, the average length of labor for the group of 212 women supported by a doula was 7.4 hours. The average length of labor for the 204 women in the unsupported group was 9.4 hours. In a study in a Houston hospital, only 12 percent of the unsupported women had natural, vaginal births (no anesthesia, oxytocin, medication or forceps). In the group of women who had a doula, 55 percent of them delivered naturally. Of the mothers in the Houston study who chose an epidural and did not have a doula, 16.8 percent of them had a cesarean delivery. Of those unsupported who chose narcotic pain relief, 11.6 percent of them had cesarean births. But the mothers who had continuous doula support only had 3.2 percent cesarean deliveries!

Having a doula also appears to affect you even AFTER you give birth! In a doula study conducted in South Africa they learned: Less doula supported mothers considered labor and delivery to have been difficult. The doula supported moms seemed to have more interest in their babies and more interaction with them. There were feeding problems with 63 percent of the non-doula supported moms and only 16 percent of the doula supported moms. At six weeks postpartum, 28 percent of the non-doula babies had experienced vomiting, as compared to 4 percent of the doula supported birth babies. 69 percent non-doula babies had colds or runny nose, compared to 39 percent of the doula babies. 25 percent of the non-doula babies had a poor appetite and none of the doula supported birth babies reported poor appetites. This may be in part because more of the doula supported mothers bonded well with their babies and were successful at breastfeeding. The doula group mothers said it took them an average of 2.9 days to develop a close relationship with their baby, compared to 9.8 days for the other group of mothers. 23 percent of the mothers who had no doula support during birth suffered from postpartum depression. Only 10 percent of the doula support mothers had this experience. The effect of doula support on a mother enhance long-term attachment of the infant to the parents. Two long-standing human practices, early mother-infant contact and having the baby remain with the mother, usually with breastfeeding, and continuous support during labor, have wonderful side effects on maternal behavior. If this was provided for more mothers, we might see a higher percentage of securely attached infants and children. Do yourself and your baby a favor and hire a doula!