“Doula” is an ancient Greek word meaning “handmaiden”. Throughout history women have relied on other women for support and assistance during labor and birth. Now, when it is needed more than ever the practice is being revived. A birth doula provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and just after childbirth.
Research has found that when doulas attend births labors are shorter, there are fewer complications, and there is less need for interventions like epidurals, vacuum extractions, oxytocin and cesarean deliveries. Babies are born healthier and breastfeed more easily.
A birth doula:
-recognizes birth as a key life experience that the mother will always remember.
-understands the physiology of birth, and the emotional needs of a woman in labor.
-provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, assisting the mother and her partner though out the entire labor.
-nurtures and protects the woman’s memory of her birth.
