What is a Doula?

In this journey to become a certified doula, I’ve seen that women need a confident, knowledgeable woman to help nurture, coach and gently guide them through the duration of labor, pushing and post-partum care. Women in labor need continuous physical, emotional and mental support. A doula provides just that. Through statistics published on how doula’s can effect women positively in birth and my own experiences, I’ve come to see what a doula provides, why it is significant and why continuous support is necessary in the birthing process. I’ve been fascinated and encouraged about the answers revealed. I’m more confident now in what I want to be doing and how I can be effective in helping women achieve something that they want for their birth experience.

Let’s look at some studies documented about the benefits of having a doula present. Women were less likely to have pain relief administered, less likely to have a C-section and report having a better childbirth experience. Other statistical studies show that overall having a doula assist in a birth decreases cesarean rate by 50%, length of labor by 25%, the use of oxytocin by 40% and requests for an epidural by 60%. Still in other published findings there is 30% reduction in analgesic use and 40% reduction in forceps delivery. These are fantastic positive findings that help to prove the important role a doula can play in a birth experience!

So what is a doula and what exactly does she do? The simple definition is a women helping another women. It has now evolved more specifically to a doula being someone who attends a birth and provides encouragement and support to a laboring woman. There are three main ways to provide support and one is physical support. This is an important aspect of a doula’s role in the birth of a baby. Mom is working hard and will encounter discomfort, pain, agitation, etc. A doula offers suggestions of different positions that might help manage pain during contractions. Some examples might be sitting on a birthing ball, leaning on dad, a bath, swaying, squatting with support, etc. Physical support can also include massaging mom to help her relax or relieve pain to take some of the stress away. Offering mom ice-chips, assisting mom to and from the bed, grabbing extra pillows are other ways a doula can offer additional physical support.

Secondly, emotional support is a big need in a birthing situation as well. Birth is intense and can be draining not only for mom but dad as well. In one of the births I submitted, I realized how much the man feels the weight of becoming someone’s father. I had the opportunity to listen and allow a dad to express his disappointment with a doctor and the fear of a wrong choice being made. By my being there for him, he was able to process with me first and then go and be there for his wife during a C-section and enjoy his baby girl being born.

Finally, there is mental support that a doula can provide. As stated earlier, birth can be a long, drawn out, difficult and draining process. This takes it toll on both partners. When hours have gone by and progress is slow and mom is exhausted, couples can lose mental energy to keep going. What they need is to be reminded of what they’ve learned, their options and guided about the task at hand. A doula can keep the positive momentum going and allow them both to just relax and enjoy the process. Many couples don’t want to “do the wrong thing” and that weighs heavily on them as time goes on. When a doula is coaching mom during labor and she can trust her, then this can release mom to focus on her part - resting and breathing. I believe that each one - physical, emotional, and mental support - is invaluable.

A doula should be a person who has no trouble affirming and encouraging others. Encouragement is important to help strengthen mom with words and phrases that praise her of her efforts. Mom needs to hear that she is doing a fantastic job. She needs to hear how strong she is. She needs to know that she is listening well and doing what you’re coaching her to do. All of this positive reenforcement enables mom to continue her journey while knowing that SHE IS doing it! Encouragement also makes for a great experience for the birthing couple. Most women don’t know that their birth experience can be a positive and wonderful. When there is positive affirmation taking place, the atmosphere is a pleasant one.

As I’ve gotten feed back from my clients, naturally the most significant aspects offered to them are the support, affirmation and nurturing provided for them. There is something very vulnerable about birth. A women wants to feel protected and known. When other women are reassuring her insecurities and listening to her fears, a woman feels connected and responds positively to what is going on around her. In a sense, she feels taken care of. Even though she is the one doing all the work, she doesn’t feel alone and has a connectedness with a “team” effort. Again, labor techniques are very helpful. When there is a reliable, trusted person answering and guiding mom through contractions, there can be a peace and a rest for mom and even dad. As a doula offers suggestions of positions and leads mom in breathing techniques, mom is free of worry and concern about doing it right and can just relax and breath. Lastly, a key in labor for most of my clients has been the mental factor. A doula can be very present in the intentional focus of mom and her work. Women want to “stay in the game” and this can be hard to do. So, when she is being built up at a time when she feel weary then each contraction provides empowerment rather than defeat. Why? Because there is focus and that leaves no room for panic and chaos. These efforts have given the couples I’ve worked with great satisfaction with the births of their babies. It has given me absolute gratitude for the opportunity to aid someone in this amazing journey called “birth”.

My hope is that in our birthing community we will have established the value of doulas. Every positive experience brings us closer to the support of women in birth. As couples continue to talk about how much they actually enjoyed their birth, more questions will arise and more answers can be given. I would love to see women doing what their bodies were created to do and partake in the awe of what a positive birth experience can accomplish in one’s life. It is empowering to bring a life into the world and to know that “I DID THAT!”