Labor Support...

The role of the doula is to provide physical, emotional and informational support to women and their partners during labor and birth. Doulas offer help and advice on comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, movement and positioning. We also assist families in gathering information about the course of their labor and their options. Perhaps the most crucial role of the doula is providing continuous emotional reassurance and comfort.
Doulas specialize in non-medical skills and do not perform clinical tasks, such as vaginal exams or fetal heart rate monitoring. Doulas do not diagnose medical conditions, offer second opinions, or give medical advice. Most importantly, doulas do not make decisions for their clients; they do not project their own values and goals onto laboring women.

Benefits of having a doula present at your birth:

Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth
• tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
• reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
• reduces the need for Pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
• reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals
Research shows parents who receive support can:
• Feel more secure and cared for
• Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
• Have greater success with breastfeeding
• Have greater self-confidence
• Have less postpartum depression