Doula
Services
In nearly every culture in the world a laboring woman has experienced, caring women with her throughout labor and birth. Increasingly, women in western countries are turning to doulas, women trained and experienced in providing labor support.
Doulas are available to answer
questions and help you find information during pregnancy, labor and postpartum.
I can help you understand your options, and help you express and implement your
birth preferences. In labor, doulas
hold hands, rub backs, massage bellies, breathe with you, walk with you, and
encourage you. Your doula will stay
with you throughout your labor, suggesting comfort measures and positions to
help your childbirth go as smoothly as possible.
Doulas bring with them knowledge
of birth and labor that few couples have, and experience using comfort measures
with laboring women. Doulas can help
prevent slow or stalled labor, back labor and the unnecessary interventions and
complications that result. And when you are holding your newborn, your doula
can help you get nursing started or take pictures of the new family.
Why Have
a Doula?
Doulas were first seen to
make positive changes in birth outcomes in studies designed to determine better
ways to foster the maternal-newborn bonding process. In the 20 years since, studies around the world agree that doulas
can have a significant positive impact on birth outcomes, resulting in fewer
complications, shorter labors and less intervention. Research done on how a doula affects the postpartum period
concluded that the mothers with doulas were happier and less likely to suffer
from postpartum depression, that relationships with the partner were
strengthened, and that babies were generally healthier.
In clinical trials around the world, doulas have
statistically:
-Reduced the length of labor by
25%
-Reduced requests for narcotics
by 30%
-Reduced requests for epidurals
by 60%
-Reduced the usage of Pitocin by
40 %
-Reduced the number of babies
born by forceps or vacuum extraction by 40%
-Reduced the number of
C-sections by 50%
For
more information about these statistics, read Mothering the Mother: How a
Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth Written by Marshall H. Klaus, Phyllis H. Klaus, and John Kennell
Doulas don’t leave partners out. Part of a doula’s role is to help the partner comfort the mother
as well. Sometimes partners need a
little reassurance that everything is okay, or can really use a suggestion of
how to best help mom. Sometimes a
partner is overwhelmed at being the only support person for the mom, who is
uncomfortable and in pain. Remember,
partners are there not only to help the mother-to-be, but also to experience
the birth of their child. Having a
doula means that they can participate at a level where they feel comfortable in
supporting the mom, and it means that they can also concentrate on the birth of
their child without feeling that mom is lacking the support she needs.
Read more about dads and doulas here: Do
Doulas Replace Dads?
Read comments from dads here: Comments page –Coming Soon
Doula
Services include 2 prenatal meetings, complete labor
support, 2 postpartum meetings and CD-ROM of birth photos (if you wish). Research based information and handouts and
access to my lending library are included.
I am a mother before I
am a doula, and I attend a very small number of births each month, so that I
may provide the best service possible without taking too much away from my
family. It’s best to contact me early
and be assured of an opening in your due month. If I do not have an opening, I will do my best to find area
doulas who do.
You can wait to hire
a doula, but starting early is the best way to get the one you want. It is suggested that you begin looking for a
doula in your second trimester, so that you will have time to find, interview,
choose and establish a relationship with your doula. If you are in your third trimester you are not too late, but you
should hire a doula sometime before you start labor!
Find out if your dates are available
Additional information about doulas:
Frequently Asked Questions About
Doulas
If I Have an
Epidural, Why Do I Need a Doula?
Insurance Companies
That Reimburse for Doula Services