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Download Dads
and Birth Doulas brochure in PDF format.
Download DONA's International
Position Paper on Birth Doula
in PDF format.
Our
Doula Services
Your birth experience
with a OC Doula can include the following:
- A free interview
in the comfort of your home
- Prenatal visit(s)
- 24 hour telephone
support
- Guaranteed backup
- Birth planning
and preparation
- Labor support in
your home, hospital and/or birthing center
- Newborn photographs/
video
Our rate is flexible
and will be discussed on a case by case basis in your free non-obligated
interview.
What is a Doula?
A Doula (which may
also be called Childbirth Assistants, Labor Support Professionals, Labor
Coachs, or Birth Companions.) She does not replace the partner. Instead
she helps support the partner so that he or she can love and encourage
the laboring woman.
A Doula provides continuous,
uninterrupted support throughout labor and delivery. She offers massage,
suggestions for position changes, relaxation techniques, reminders to
stay hydrated and keep her bladder empty. She also believes in a woman's
ability to birth her baby.
Studies have shown
that having a doula may decrease:
- Epidural use by
60%
- Cesarean birth
by 50%
- Pitocin use by
40%
- Narcotics use by
30%
- Forceps use by
30%
- Length of labor
by 25%
- Incidence of Postpartum
Depression
- Levels of Anxiety
As well as an increase
of:
- Successful
Breastfeeding
- A more positive
birth experience
- Higher chance of
spontaneous vaginal birth
- Having higher regard
and increased sensitivity toward baby
Why
use a doula?
DONA International
doulas mother the mother.
Women have complex
needs during childbirth and the weeks that follow. In addition to medical
care and the love and companionship provided by their partners, women
need consistent, continuous reassurance, comfort, encouragement and respect.
They need individualized care based on their circumstances and preferences.
DONA International
doulas are educated and experienced in childbirth and the postpartum period.
We are prepared to provide physical (non-medical), emotional and informational
support to women and their partners during labor and birth, as well as
to families in the weeks following childbirth. We offer a loving touch,
positioning and comfort measures that make childbearing women and families
feel nurtured and cared for.
Doula FAQ's
1. Where
does the word “doula” come from?
The word “doula” comes from ancient Greek, meaning “Woman’s
servant.” Throughout history and in much of the world today, a cadre
of women support a woman through labor and birth, giving back rubs and
providing continuous emotional support. Like their historical counterparts,
DONA International birth doulas know how to help a woman in labor feel
better. However, today’s doulas are much more diverse than their
predecessors. DONA International membership includes men and women from
a wide range of ages and cultural backgrounds.
2. What effects
does the presence of a doula have on the mother?
When a doula is present during and after childbirth, women report greater
satisfaction with their birth experience, make more positive assessments
of their babies, have fewer cesareans and requests for medical intervention,
and less postpartum depression.
3. What effects
do the presence of doulas have on babies?
Studies have shown that babies born with doulas present tend to have shorter
hospital stays with fewer admissions to special care nurseries, breastfeed
more easily and have more affectionate mothers in the postpartum period.
4. How do doulas
practice?
Doulas practice in three ways: privately hired directly by clients, as
hospital employees, and as volunteers in community or hospital programs.
5. Does a doula
replace nursing staff?
No. Doulas do not replace nurses or other medical staff. Doulas do not
perform clinical or medical tasks such as taking blood pressure or temperature,
monitoring fetal heart rate, doing vaginal examinations or providing postpartum
clinical care. They are there to comfort and support the mother and to
enhance communication between the mother and medical professionals.
6. Does a doula
make decisions on my behalf?
A doula does not make decisions for clients or intervene in their clinical
care. She provides informational and emotional support, while respecting
a woman’s decisions.
7. Will a doula
make my partner feel unnecessary?
No, a doula is supportive to both the mother and her partner, and plays
a crucial role in helping a partner become involved in the birth to the
extent he/she feels comfortable.
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