Doulas: New Concepts in Care

Doulas are a relatively new addition to Maternity Care, however they are a return to an age-old tradition of women-to-women support during pregnancy, labor, birth and the first weeks with a newborn. Doulas provide non-medical care. Doula offer women, their partners and family members emotional support, alternative comfort techniques and help facilitate positive communication and informed consent between the women and her medical providers. Doulas compliment the care the women are already receiving and add a continuous, caring, nurturing presence to all.

A  systematic review of the effects of continuous labor support was published in Issue 3, 2003 of The Cochrane Library.

Women who received continuous support were less likely than women who did not to:

• have regional analgesia
• have any analgesia/anesthesia
• give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
• give birth by cesarean
• report dissatisfaction or a negative rating of their experience.

Women receiving continuous support were more likely than those who did not, to give birth spontaneously—with neither cesarean, vacuum extraction nor forceps.

Childbirth Connection is a partial supporter of this work, the review is available here, (in full and without charge, click for a PDF) along with additional information about labor support at www.childbirthconnection.org.  Also visit www.dona.org.