“Doula” n: A doula is a skilled and experienced professional who provides physical, emotional, social and informational support to you and your partner during pregnancy and childbirth.
The Doula Difference
- Decreased medical interventions in labor*
- Reduces need for cesarean by 26%
- Reduces the need for forceps or vacuum extractor by 41%
- Reduces use of pain medication by 28%
- Reduces dissatisfaction with birth by 33%
- Reduces length of labor
- Increased maternal engagement and satisfaction with care
- Improved Apgar Scores in infants
“One of the most effective tools to improve labor and delivery outcomes is the continuous presence of trained support personal not part of the medical team, such as a doula” – Safe Prevention of the Primary Caesarean Delivery – American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2014
What does birth doula care from one of us look like?
Prenatal Visits
We visit you and your family at home a few times during your pregnancy. During these meetings we talk in depth and learn about you, your history, your pregnancy and your preferences. We tell you and show you the methods we use to ease pain in labor and encourage a smooth labor.
Continuous Birth Support
We come and stay with you during the birth process offering comfort and encouragement. We strive to make you feel safe and cared for as you bring new life into this world.
Visits after birth
We continue to care for you after birth. Our visits during the critical postpartum time are to check-in on the your recovery and the newborn/s. These visits also help to process and integrate your experience, to begin to heal trauma and to celebrate a momentous journey.
Our birth doula!! I can honestly say I simply cannot imagine how I would have done it without her!! After a complicated first delivery I spent most of my second pregnancy very anxious and my trust and faith in the hospital was very low. Our Doula went above and beyond and she spent as much time as needed reassuring us and answering our questions. She guided us to ask questions and voice our concerns at our doctor’s appointments which helped us to feel more comfortable with the decisions being made.
During the 39th week I was exhausted and being pressured to schedule an induction which I just didn’t want. I was also feeling a lot of pain. Our doula came over and made me do some positions. Luckily something worked and I got into labor the next night. Our doula joined us at hospital. I was able to have a successful VBAC with her support and encouragement all the way and it was such a different experience from our first baby! Our Doula was more like a member of our family and we will always remember her.
Revati and Sukanth, M
“I was a little concerned at first that the doula would take over my role in supporting my wife. Hiring a doula was the best decision. In hindsight, our birth ended up being very different from what we expected and there were a lot of scary moments during the labor. Having a doula present by our side to reassure us both was very helpful for my wife and I. She also reminded us to ask about our options and helped to communicate my wife’s preferences with our nurses every time the shift changed. We will definitely have a doula for our next birth as well”
Eric and Nancy, J
Because we passionately believe that no one who wants company should journey alone
Life Circle Birth International 