Birth Support Benefits: Explained

A birth doula is a professional non-medical companion who provides support to a pregnant individual. These needs may vary but are always a part of the childbirth experience. A doula also provides support to the client's partner, family, and friends as needed. The role of a doula is to facilitate feelings of safety, validity, confidence, and comfort. Birth doulas complete the birth team by bringing their unique skill set to an arena that is generally impersonal or unfeeling. Health care professionals work in the clinical realm prioritizing general healthcare delivered in rehearsed bedside manner. A birth doula works with empathy and affirmation to maintain your emotional health and mental confidence in yourself that you can complete the task at hand.

Birth doulas are a valuable asset that can better your birth experience. Doulas offer you emotional and physical support such as positive affirmations, and pain relief techniques like warm/cool therapy, massage, and position management. They allow for support partners and family members to take breaks to eat or rest. Doulas can provide you with an array of information, from facts about the physiological process of birth to the best brand of maternity bra,( all upon request, unsolicited or biased advice will never be a part of your doula experience). Your doula works solely for you and only in your best interest to fulfill your wishes for your unique experience.

According to a study done by Cochrane, continuous support during labor improves outcomes for both women and newborns. These improvements include a 12% increase in spontaneous vaginal births, natural pain management resulting in a 9% decrease in medications for pain relief, cesarean rate decreases by 28%, low five-minute Apgar score, a 14% decrease in newborns being admitted to a special care nursery

and a 34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience.

There was no evidence found of any harm in continuous labor support.

A doula listens to you and your body and will help guide you through your pregnancy and childbirth by securing resources for you and providing evidence-based information to you so that you can make the best decisions for yourself and your family. Options and rights are thoroughly discussed and will be brought to light, in order to best benefit your birth. You will never be made to feel judged or guilty for your choices before, during, or after birth. Your doula is prepared to handle changes in your birth plan at a moment’s notice, and will not pressure you to do something you are opposed to. They are a great aid to friends and family who may understand how to best support you, a doula can help to facilitate that, and at the same time will never get in the way of any of your connections. A doula can add to an already fantastic birth team or elevate one of mediocre nature. Your doula believes in you and your ability to give birth your way, and they will help you to find build that same confidence in yourself.

In summary, your doula will work with you to make the birth you envision a reality. They will comfort you and soothe your pain as best they can, they will strengthen you with reassurance and words of validation and praise. They will advocate for you, they will protect and honor your space. Your doula will support you no matter what happens!

• Hodnett, Gates, Hofmeyr, Sakala, ED, S, GJ, C, (2020, November 19). Continuous support for women during childbirth. Retrieved November 19, 2020, from PubMed.com, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23076901/

• https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/