Why a Doula

A DOULA is a “mother’s helper”. Also known as a Birth Companion, their role is to support the birthing mother.

Here are a few broken down points to what a doula does:

• 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

Numerous studies have shown how positively Birth Companions influence birth. Women with a doula at her side will most likely experience shorter labors with fewer complications, increased positive feelings about the childbirth experience, less need for labor-inducing drugs, less medical interventions such as vacuum extraction and cesareans, as well as a increased pain tolerance.