Q. Are there any real benefits to having a doula? Does a doula replace the woman’s partner?
A. There are many benefits of having a doula. For example, a doula supports the woman’s partner. She frees both parents to focus on the main event. She also facilitates communication with care providers and provides information as needed. As someone who has attended numerous births, she offers experienced reassurance and encouragement. The birth is an intimate, life-changing process that turns a woman and her partner into parents. Certainly, a doula respects and supports that process.
Q. What exactly does a doula do that I can’t?
A. A doula is like a wingman. In other words, she’s been down this road many times. She knows childbirth. To clarify, a doula charts a path for new parents. This is unfamiliar territory! But with a doula in your tribe, your love and support will be based in the secure footing of education and training.
A doula will train the partner to manage the mother’s pain. There are many pain management exercises. For instance, applying pressure on her hips can help. Breathing techniques can also shift focus away from pain. Additionally, a doula will train the partner to do mental exercises with the mother. For example, recalling positive memories can also shift the mother’s to focus away from pain. In short, these are just some of the ways a doula helps the partner sooth a mom in discomfort.
If the partner needs to go on a bathroom break or a food run, then the doula can step in and continue pain management and positive reinforcement. A doula provides accurate, unbiased information. There are different options for new parents and the possible subsequent outcomes vary. Sometimes, partner’s have to make quick decisions and a doula’s experience can help.
Above all, remember that a doula is not a medical professional. Likewise, she doesn’t make diagnoses or administer treatments. She is there for physical, emotional, and informational support. All on your terms.
Q. What do dads say are the benefits of having a doula?
A. Many dads are naturally skeptical. After all, the birth is an important event and additional participants are less than desirable. However, after experiencing the benefits of having a doula, parents were overwhelmingly happy they chose to hire professional support. In one high quality study, dads rated their experiences with doulas as 93% very positive and 7% positive. McGrath SK & Kennell JH, was a randomized controlled trial of continuous labor support for middle-class couples. The effect on Cesarean delivery rates in 2008 was 25:3. That’s quite an endorsement!
Q. What does research say about doulas?
A. The research is unequivocal. The presence of a doula helps reduce the chances of Cesarean by up to 28%. Furthermore, the chances of a baby having to be admitted to a NICU are reduced by up to 14%. And finally, the chances of the mother being dissatisfied with her birth experience is reduced by up to 34%. (The Evidence for Doulas, a comprehensive article from Evidence Based Birth). The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists called doulas one of the most effective tools to improve labor and delivery outcomes. The studies cited included more than 15,000 women. (Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery, a 2014 Obstetric Consensus Statement from the nation’s obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine specialists.)
