Helping support women through their birth journey

What is a doula?

A doula is a trained birth professional who supports mothers and their family’s during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

Doulas help provide informational, emotional, and physical support. A doula doesn’t replace your partner, instead works alongside your partner supporting you both helping to create a strong birth team.

Doulas aim to enhance the birthing experience, helping the birthing women and their family feel empowered and informed throughout the process. Home birth, or hospital birth I am here to help support you to have a psychological birth.

why CHOOSE A DOULA?

Overall, women who received continuous support were more likely to have spontaneous vaginal births and less likely to have any pain medication, epidurals, negative feelings about childbirth, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and Cesareans. In addition, their labors were shorter by about 40 minutes on average, and their babies were less likely to have low Apgar scores at birth (an Apgar score is a measure of a baby’s immediate health at birth). There was some evidence that doula support in labor lowered rates of postpartum depression. There was no evidence that there are any negative effects of doula support.

Researchers found that overall, continuous support during birth leads to:

25% decrease

in the risk of Cesarean

Shorter labors

by 41 minutes on average

8% increase

in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth

38% decrease

in the baby’s risk of a low five-minute Apgar score

10% decrease

in the use of any medications for pain relief

31% decrease

in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience

what does it mean to be supported in labor?

  • Physical Support

    Feeling physically and emotionally safe during childbirth is important to ensure the best outcomes. Physical support is important because it helps you maintain a sense of control, comfort, and confidence, and can provide relief or distraction from pain. Feeling safe can also calm your nerves and allow your body to stay in a relaxed state, so labor will progress at its best.

  • Emotional Support

    Emotional support is a key feature of doula support, helping you feel cared for and centered in your care, and to feel a sense of pride and empowerment after birth. One of the doula’s primary roles is to care for your emotional health and provide a supportive presence that increases the chances of a positive birth experience.

  • Informational Support

    Informational support helps keep you and your birth partner informed about what’s going on with the course of labor, as well as giving you evidence-based information about birth options. All of this can lead to you feeling supported, safe, and experiencing other benefits that come from being at ease in your body. Studies show that doulas often have a basic level of clinical knowledge and can help explain the birthing process and common medical procedures.