Henna Artwork on a Pregnant Belly
In ancient Greece, the word Doula meant “Woman’s Servant.” Back then, a Doula was the highest, most important female servant in the house who assisted the lady of the house through childbirth. Nowadays a Doula is a skilled woman who offers physical, emotional and informational support to a mother and father continuously during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
A Doula has professional training and is skilled in massage, positioning, comfort measures, visualization, and relaxation and breathing techniques. This means that Doulas can make practical suggestions for labor and birthing positions and physical movements which may help shift the baby into a more favorable position for ease of delivery, or aid in the mothers ability to relax and focus.
Above all, a Doula wants her clients’ birth to be a satisfying and positive experience. She fully understands the impact birthing can have on a woman’s life and strives to make the experience wonderful and memorable according to her clients’ ideas and desires. She also helps to maintain a calm atmosphere with lighting, music, massage and other coping techniques; assisting the mom in relaxation and guiding her toward positive emotions throughout the whole birthing process.
When you have a Doula attend to you during your birth, you have a woman at your side who is dedicated to helping you have your best birth possible according to your desires. YOUR wishes are always her first and highest priority.
These are some benefits of hiring a birth doula:
Benefits for birth outcomes:
- Labors are shorter by an average of 98 min
- There are fewer complications
- Cesarean rates are reduced by 51%
- The need for oxytocin (Pitocin) to speed up labor reduced by 71%
- Use of forceps is reduced by 57%
- Women’s requests for pain medication and epidurals reduced by 35%
Benefits for mother:
- Greater satisfaction with their birthing experience
- More positive assessments of their babies
- Less postpartum depression
Benefits for baby:
- Babies have shorter hospital stays and fewer admissions to special care nurseries
- Babies breastfeed more easily
- Mothers are more affectionate to their babies postpartum
Benefits for Dads:
- Tend to be more involved
- Feel free to be involved in birth at the level they feel comfortable
- Become more familiar with the language and processes of birth
- A doula helps facilitate communication between the father and birthing mother
- A doula suggests various ways for the father to help the birthing mother
Benefits for the health care system:
- The cost of obstetrical care is dramatically reduced (because of fewer medical interventions)
- Women are pleased with the personalized care doulas offer
(Source: Doula Association of Central Oklahoma, www.dacoinc.org)
