The word doula is an ancient Greek word loosely translated it means “assistant to women” or “with woman”.
In the past centuries a woman during pregnancy, birth and postpartum was supported and attended by other women in her family and surrounding community. Until the 1900′s women were typically attended by midwifes for medical care, and birth took place at home with the woman surrounded by family and friends.
In recent years the word doula has come to mean a person, generally a women, who supports women, couples, and families during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Doulas are individuals. Each of us has our own strengths and areas of expertise. There are Doulas with different specialties such as fertility, high-risk pregnancies, difficult birth circumstances, adoption, breastfeeding, postpartum depression and so on.
Labor Doulas attend births, however there are Doulas that contract exclusively for other areas , for example, a Post Partum Doula offers postpartum support and baby care support; and Antepartum Doula helps mothers that are in high risk pregnancies and need additional support before baby is born.
A doula provides physical, emotional and informational support. They are not midwives or doctors and are not trained for clinical skills. The doula works for the client but should compliment the caregiver and birthplace services.
WHY HIRE A DOULA?
Today the majority of births occur in hospitals with a lesser percent in birth centers and at home. In America, a large amount of birthing mothers, look to obstetricians for prenatal, birth and postpartum care. This is changing as some hospitals have created family birthing environments, greater support for birth choices and obstetricians are encouraging and supporting parents to become aware of their many choices in care.
You may feel that your partner is sufficient support and you don’t need another person to attend your needs. However, labor can be long, your partner may need to support you through hours of latent labor, there is no one to relieve them for bathroom breaks, to acquire nutrition or even just a moment to rest. The nurses may have other patients to tend to or paperwork and may not be able to attend to your needs consistently during your labor. A doula may come to your home to assist with support in early labor and is a constant presence during active labor and birth. They make sure both the mother and partner have comfort and support.
Some women feel that extra support is not needed because they have chosen medication during birth. This however is not true; the benefits of having labor support go beyond medication choices.
There are many issues that will come up during birth, some which can be helped by comfort measures, some which require medication and some caused by medication. A doula is just as busy with a mom who has had an epidural as one who is not medicated. Position changes, massage, tending to discomfort, and emotional support are just as important for a medicated birthing mom as an un-medicated birthing mom.
BENEFITS OF A DOULA?
So, what does research say about the benefits of a doula? There have been several studies, articles and books written about doula support. The most famous is *Mothering the Mother by Klaus, Kennel and Klaus. In their studies they found that the presence of a doula:
- Reduced c-sections by 50%
- Reduced the length of labor by 25%
- Reduced oxytocin use by 40%
- Reduced the need for pain medication by 30%
- Reduced the need for forceps by 40%
- Reduced requests for epidurals by 60%
Klaus stated “Doula support enhances the well being of mothers and babies, leads to fewer medical interventions in the process of labor and delivery and saves money for the individual and the hospital.”
A doula can also enhance the satisfaction of the birthing mother with her birth, her partner, heightens self esteem and bonding with the baby, increases breastfeeding success, reduces feeding problems and has even been shown to bolster the fathers involvement during birth and heighten satisfaction with the birth.
Jessica Wild
Angel Dance Birth Services
Doula (Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, AZ)
Phone (480) 985-8314
Cell (480) 236-3366
www.angeldancebirth.com
Call or email for an interview/appointment
References available upon request.
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