| Women have complex needs during
childbirth and the weeks that follow. In addition to medical
care and the love and companionship provided by their partners,
women need consistent, continuous reassurance, comfort, encouragement
and respect. They need individualized care based on their circumstances
and preferences. |
|
Doulas are prepared to
provide physical (non-medical), emotional and informational
support to women and their partners during labor and birth,
as well as to families in the weeks following childbirth.
We offer a loving touch, positioning and comfort measures
that make childbearing women and families feel nurtured and
cared for. |
|
Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s
presence at birth
|
• tends to result in shorter
labors with fewer complications
• reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth
experience
• reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug),
forceps or vacuum
• extraction and cesareans
• reduces the mother’s request for pain medication
and/or epidurals
|
|
Research shows parents who receive support can:
|
• Feel more secure and cared
for
• Greater satisfaction with their birth experience
• More positive assessment of their babies
• Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
• Have greater success with breastfeeding
• Have greater self-confidence
• Have less postpartum depression
• Have lower incidence of abuse
|
