Want a Better Labor Experience? Hire a Doula!
Authored by:
Anna Glezer, M.D.
Research has proven that doulas, defined as lay women who assist with childbirth, can have significant positive impact on your labor, delivery, and even the postpartum experience. The assistance provided by a doula includes physical, emotional, and information support, and it extends from the active phase of labor through into the postpartum period. Some of the valuable elements of this aid includes emotional encouragement and guidance, helping decipher complex medical information and guide with decision-making, and relaxation and breathing techniques. Postpartum, it can include help with breastfeeding and in-home services.
A key factor in doula care is that the doula remains with the woman for the duration of labor. Many women who deliver in hospitals see many providers over the course of different shift changes. The doula remains a consistent participant in the delivery.
The benefits of continuous labor support by a doula include:
Less pain medication
Fewer c-sections and other interventions
Higher Apgar scores in babies
Overall improved childbirth experience reported by mothers
Higher rates of breastfeeding
Lower rates of postpartum depression
Support for father/partner
Some of the greatest advantages in the research are noted for those women who come into the hospital already at a disadvantage, such as those without a partner, with a language barrier, or with a low income background. The doula serves as an advocate for the laboring mother and an intermediary in the complex medical world of hospitals.
There are a number of helpful resources for you to consider:
The two largest organizations that certify doulas are the Doulas of North America (DO NA, http://www.dona.org) and Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA, http://www.cappa.net). In order to become certified, a doula must have experience with several births. A doula in training might be a good choice if finances are a concern for you.
I hope that as doula support becomes more ingrained in our hospital labor and delivery process, this beneficial service will become part of the options for all women delivering. For hospitals and insurance companies, this would mean significant financial savings as doula support leads to fewer medical interventions and complications. For women, this would mean a more positive labor experience with decreased postpartum complications such as depression.
I encourage you to think about having a doula as part of your delivery plan.
Selected References:
Hodnett ED, Gates S, Hofmeyr GJ, Sakala C. Continuous support for women during childbirth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Jul 15;7.
Punger, D. Importance of continuous doula support during labor. American Family Physician 2004 70(3): 448.
