A doula refers to a supportive companion or trained assistant hired by expectant parents to provide physical and emotional support in the childbirth process. Doulas do not perform any vaginal exams or clinical tasks; rather they provide non-midwifery and non-medical support like positioning suggestions, massaging and informational support on all aspects of parenting. Moreover, with additional mobility and relaxation, doulas can provide extra help and care by maintaining a calm and peaceful environment.


Professionally Trained

Professionally trained, doulas provide encouragement and support during the pre-natal and postpartum periods. The presence of a doula at home enhances the good health of mothers and babies by reducing the medication costs which thereby leads to more comfort and happiness. Moreover, their presence complements a father’s role by being an objective, helpful and nurturing female supporter before and after childbirth. It is not an attempt to take over or replace the role played by father but to minimize the father’s anxiety and to educate him with specific tasks to maintain a healthy relationship between partners.


Birth Doulas

Labor/birth doulas serve all types of physical and emotional needs of pregnant women to help the labor process go well. Labor/birth doula´s support a laboring woman either at home, at hospital or the birth center and continue to be with her even a few hours after the childbirth. To ensure proper aid and assistance to the mother, some doulas also offer postpartum meeting, prenatal visits and even phone support.


Postpartum Doulas

Postpartum doulas typically provide care and support in the home after the childbirth. They are trained in providing mothers’ evidence-based information and care on infant soothing, breast-feeding, mother-baby bonding, emotional and physical recovery from childbirth and coping abilities for new parents. They may even assist in lighthouse keeping, cooking nutritious meals for the mother and offer new born care assistance. Such care begins from the day of birth and continues through the first six weeks postpartum. In some cases, these services can even last several months or a year postpartum.


Positive Influences

By providing reassurance and encouragement to laboring women, doulas play an important role in the labor process. Since doulas are familiar with the birth process, their support to laboring women have resulted in reducing the overall cesarean rate by up to fifty per cent, the length of labor by twenty five per cent, pain medication by 30% and the use of oxytocin by forty percent.

The expectant parents can plan to hire doula as a professional birth partner at the birth of the child for post and antenatal support to ease their fears regarding pregnancy and to ensure a smoother birth. The Doula’s reassuring and constant assistance have resulted in mothers with greater self-esteem, higher regard for their babies and less depression. Though hiring a doula can be very advantageous, still parents should be alert and wary while hiring a supportive companion who may be unreliable, inexperienced or prejudiced. On the contrary, they need a birth partner that is well trained and experienced who can provide the correct support for the new family.