What is a Doula, and How Can a Doula Help You During Pregnancy and Birth?
If you’re wondering, "What exactly is a doula, and what do they do?"—you’re not alone! This is a common question, and the answer is more important than you might think, especially for expectant parents. In fact, doulas have been proven to save insurance companies millions of dollars by reducing unnecessary medical interventions. How? By educating and empowering their clients to advocate for themselves throughout pregnancy and birth.
A common misconception is that a doula is the same as a midwife. Doulas are not midwives, but they play a crucial role as part of your birth team, whether you plan to give birth in a hospital, a birth center, or at home with an obstetrician or midwife.
What Does a Doula Do?
Your birth team is typically made up of doctors, midwives, nurses, and your birthing partners. These professionals focus on the medical health of both you and your baby. A doula, on the other hand, focuses on your emotional, mental, and physical well-being during labor.
Doulas help you prepare for childbirth by providing evidence-based information, helpful resources, and practicing labor coping strategies with you and your primary birth partner. Their support is tailored to your individual needs, ensuring that you feel confident and informed every step of the way.
Benefits of Having a Doula During Childbirth
Doulas don’t replace medical staff, but they can enhance your experience by offering evidence-based guidance. They help you understand your options, ask important questions, and advocate for your birth preferences.
Research has shown that having a doula present during labor can offer several significant benefits:
39% less likely to have a cesarean birth
31% less likely to need pitocin to speed up labor
10% less likely to use pain medication
34% less likely to have a negative childbirth experience
For more in-depth research on the benefits of doulas, you can read this article on Evidence-Based Birth.
How Doulas Support You
The type of support a doula provides is often flexible and tailored to meet your specific needs. Whether it’s offering calming techniques, suggesting positions to ease discomfort, or just being a comforting presence during labor, a doula is focused on helping you achieve a positive birth experience.
While their impact is hard to quantify, the emotional and informational support they offer can be invaluable in helping you navigate your birth journey.
Still have questions about what a doula does and how they can help you? Feel free to send me a message! I’d love to chat and help you explore how a doula can make a difference in your childbirth experience.