Doulas provide continous physical and emotional support and assistance in gathering information for the client and their partners during labor and birth. The doula offers help and adivce on comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, movement and positioning, and comforts the client with touch, hot or cold packs, beverages, warm baths and showers, and other comfort measures. The doula assists their client and partner to become informed about the course of their labor and their options.
The doula helps the client become informed about various options, including the risks, benefits and accompanying precautions or interventions for safety. The doula helps ensure that non-medical needs are met while enhancing communication between the client or couple and the medical staff.
The most crucial role of the doula is providing continuous emotional reassurance and comfort for the entire labor. The doula's goal is to help the client have a safe and satisfying childbirth as the clients defines it.
the presence of a doula results in less use of pain medication
obstetric outcomes were most improved and intervention rates most dramatically lowered by having a doula present
when people receive continuous emotional support and physical comfort during childbirth, the obstetric outcomes may improve
the quality of emotional care received during labor, birth, and immediately afterwards is one vital factor that can strengthen emotional ties between the parents and their child
the client's satisfaction with their birth experience and self-esteem appears to improve when a doula has assisted them through childbirth
Ideally, the doula and the partner make the perfect support team for the client, complementing each others strengths. The doula never replaces the client's partner and cannot make the same unique contributions that the partner makes to the client.
Partners often feel relieved when they can rely on a doula for help. Their is decreased pressure on the partner and they can participate more at their own comfort level during the birth experience. For partners who want to play an active support role, the doula assists and guides them in effective ways to help their loved ones in labor.
My doula training consisted of a DONA International approved in-person workshop held over 4 days. This included communication skills, understanding the physo-emotional experience of childbearing, hands-on mastery of comfort and labor enhancing measures such as relaxation, breathing, positioning, and movements to reduce pain and enhance labor progress, touch, and many others.
included a childbirth course
included a breastfeeding course
completion of background reading from an extensive list of books and articles
Material adapted from DONA International's Position Paper: The Birth Doula's Role in Perinatal Care.