Doula is Greek for, "woman that serves".  The doula is a trained and experienced labor support specialist who provides the woman and her partner with continuous emotional, physical and informational support during the birth process. A doula is a part of your "birth team", which consists of your labor nurse, Doctor and/or Certified Nurse Midwife.  A doula specializes in non-medical skills to assist the woman in coping with the discomforts of labor and birth.  

 

When an experienced doula, such as myself, is part of a woman's labor process, the husband/partner can be more relaxed, loving and emotionally available for the laboring woman. This promotes greater satisfaction with the birth experience. We will work together to complete a birth plan that will list your "birth wishes".  Part of that will be the desire for early bonding and breast feeding otherwise known as, "The Golden Hour".

 

It is important to note that birth doulas improve birth outcomes.  There is a reduction in: cesarean births, need for pain medications, forceps/vacuum deliveries and Pitocin augmentation.  Birth doulas have also been shown to shorten the length of labor. Doulas are one of the most effective "tools" to improve labor and delivery outcomes!  The use of doulas during labor and birth, is STRONGLY supported by science!