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Professional Labor Support for You and Your Partner
A childbirth assistant or doula supports women and their families in achieving the birth that they desire. A doula understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor, and assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth. Prenatally and during labor, a doula provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make good decisions.
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Doula Resources
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Studies have shown that having a doula decreases interventions in birth. Doula care decreases:
- Epidural use by 60%
- Cesarean birth by 50%
- Pitocin (oxytocin) use by 40%
- Narcotics use by 30%
- Forceps use by 30%
- Length of labor by 25%
Studies have also shown that with doulas, mothers have greater satisfaction with their birth experience and more positive assessments of their babies. They also have less postpartum depression.
Doula care's proven effects on the baby include these outcomes: Babies have shorter hospital stays with fewer admissions to special care nurseries. Babies breastfeed more easily. Mothers are more affectionate to their babies postpartum.
You can learn more about professional labor support from the professional organizations that train and certify doulas and the local organizations for doulas.
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