A doula is a lot of things, but is basically your own personal cheerleader in birth and beyond! Each doula offers various services, depending on training, expertise, and interests, however, most overlap includes birth planning, physical labor support, postpartum support, birth education, lactation education, and more!
A doula’s primary concern is the well-being of the laboring person and their family. Part of working with a doula is learning how to communicate any needs or concerns with your care team and any other family members, friends, etc. Doulas provide evidence-based information, community resources, and common practices to help you make the best informed decisions about your pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period.
There are labor (or birth) doulas and postpartum doulas, each providing a unique service for a family as they welcome a new baby into the world. Labor doulas are skilled in providing comfort measures during labor to ensure maximum relaxation and labor progression. It has been shown in various research studies that the support of a labor doula can:
- decrease the chance of having a cesarean birth.
- reduce the utilization of pain medications.
- increase the satisfaction of the birth experience.
- decrease the duration of labor.
Things can happen during labor that may result in an unexpected outcome. Labor doulas are also helpful in coaching a family through any changes, decisions, or outcomes. The goal, however, is to guide families through informed decision-making and maximize as much satisfaction with the birth process as possible.
Something to note: Doulas are not medical providers, so they don’t offer medical advice; everything about your and baby’s well-being during the perinatal period needs to go through your medical provider (OBGYN, midwife, pediatrician, etc.).
Postpartum doulas are helpful to have after baby arrives from things like feeding/breastfeeding education and support, baby wearing, light housekeeping, newborn care, etc. Each family is different and the role of a postpartum doula is to respond to the family dynamics and goals and offer the appropriate support accordingly. Some doulas offer overnight services to help families get as much sleep as possible. Other postpartum doulas will run errands, hold baby while you nap, or play with other children while you get to bond with your new baby. The primary goal of those early postpartum days is to heal and nurture your mental health as much as possible, and hiring a postpartum doula is a beneficial choice.
Graceful birth & Beyond 