Why hire a doula?

Yay! We've made it to full-term! I am 37 weeks pregnant and working on getting to 38 weeks. Some days I feel wonderful (aside from the normal aches of pregnancy) and some days I feel like maybe in a few days we'll have our new baby. Just depends on the day. But, compared to carrying twins, this baby has been a piece of cake for me! Thank heavens!
As we've been talking about the upcoming delivery, I've had several people ask me why we hired a doula. Sometimes I fumble through the reasoning, so here is a bit of information on the benefits of a doula.

What is a doula?

The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

A Birth Doula

• Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
• Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
• Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
• Stays with the woman throughout the labor
• Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
• Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
• Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
• Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level

  Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth

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• tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
• reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
• reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
• reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals

Research shows parents who receive support can:

• Feel more secure and cared for
• Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
• Have greater success with breastfeeding
• Have greater self-confidence
• Have less postpartum depression
• Have lower incidence of abuse

A birth doula certified by DONA International is designated by the initials CD(DONA).

Research evidence shows that the quality services of a postpartum doula can ease the transition that comes with the addition of a baby to a family, improve parental satisfaction and reduce the risk of mood disorders.

For the actual link click here.

Our doula that we hired unfortunately has a family emergency, so we met our stand-in doula last night. She is also super nice and we feel very comfortable with her. Both of the ladies go to the church we have been attending, so prayer will also be part of our labor and delivery. We'll pray for a safe delivery of our baby and for my safety as well.
Soon we'll have a new baby! :)