The Doula Difference
The Value of Integrated Doula Care
A doula is a trained professional hired by the family to work as a valued part of their team. The doula provides non medical support to the birthing person. The doula works as a vital part of the healthcare team, optimizing the birthing person’s overall experience. This is accomplished by providing continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the birthing person before, during and shortly after childbirth to work toward ensuring a satisfying experience.
What does this look like?
Informational Support
Provides up-to-date information on the birthing process and options
Education of what is happening during labor/birth/immediate postpartum period
Non-judgmental evidence-based answers for labor/birth/postpartum questions
Provide resources and referrals when necessary
Physical Support/ Pain Management
Guidance for and assistance with hands-on comfort measures and positions for labor
Experience use of labor tools available in your birth space
Encouragement for balance of rest and activity
Emotional Support
Inspire and encourage the birthing person to work toward their birth goals
Provide nonjudgmental encouragement and support
Process any challenges or obstacles during and after birth the experience
Partner Support
Guidance for partners to support the birthing person at their comfort level
Foster intimacy between the partner and the birthing person to maximize feelings of safety and security
Postpartum Support
Personal visit(s) in the home and follow up via email and phone
Assist with processing labor and birth experience
Provide referrals to resources as needed for feeding issues, postpartum support, and counseling
Evidence for Doulas
Support for Doulas:
The benefits of doula support are well documented, research continues to demonstrate that having a trained doula lowers the risk of maternal and infant mortality by decreasing:
Cesarean birth rates by 28%
Length of labor by up to 25%
Use of pitocin by 31%
Use of pain medications by 9%
Preterm birth by 22%
Lower rates of postpartum depression
Additionally, having a doulas has shown to increase rates of breastfeeding initiation, higher newborn APGAR scores and increased satisfaction with the birth (Bohren et al., 2017 & Ogunwole, et al., 2020).
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, March of Dimes, American College of Nurse Midwives, and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal (AWHONN) have all issued statements in support of doulas.
Statement References:
A joint statement of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine released in February 2014 found that continuous labor support is among “the most effective tools to improve labor and delivery outcomes” and is likely underused(Caughey et al., 2014).
March of Dimes Position Statement on Doulas, https://www.marchofdimes.org/materials/Doulas
American College of Nurse Midwives – https://www.midwife.org/acnm/birth-doulas.pdf