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A doula is a woman who is trained in the field of pregnancy, labor processes, breastfeeding, and newborn and mother care. She helps women with emotional and physical support through the last stages of pregnancy, birth and during the crucial first weeks postpartum.
She helps as a labor doula by attending birth as a continuous presence who encourages a positive birth experience. She helps the new mother and family adjust their roles to include parenthood as a postpartum doula.
"Doula support is an essential component of childbirth. A thorough reorganization of current birth practices is in order to ensure that every woman has access to continuous emotional and physical support during labor."
Scott KD, Klaus PH, Klaus MH, The obstetrical and postpartum
benefits of continuous support during childbirth, J Women's
Health Gend Based Med 1999 Dec 8:1257-64.
"For middle-class women laboring with the support of their male partner, the continuous presence of a doula during labor significantly decreased the likelihood of cesarean delivery and reduced the need for epidural analgesia. Women and their male partners were unequivocal in their positive opinions about laboring with the support of a doula."
A randomized controlled trial of continuous labor support for
middle-class couples: effect on cesarean delivery rates. SK
McGrath and JH Kennell Birth, June 1, 2008; 35(2): 92-7.
• This is Wikipedia's description of a doula. I like it:
"Labor/birth support doulas are labor support persons who attend to the emotional and physical comfort needs of laboring women to smooth the labor process. They do not perform clinical tasks such as heart rate checks, or vaginal exams but rather use massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, positioning suggestions, etc., to help labor progress as well as possible. A labor/birth support doula joins a laboring woman either at her home or in hospital or birth center and remains with her until a few hours after the birth. Some doulas also offer several prenatal visits, phone support, and one postpartum meeting to ensure the mother is well informed and supported. The terms of a labor/birth doula's responsibilities are decided between the doula and the family. In addition to emotional, physical and informational support, doulas work as advocates of their client’s wishes and may assist in communicating with medical staff to obtain information for the client to make informed decisions regarding medical procedures."
