A doula (also referred to as a professional birth assistant) is a person who provides continuous one-on-one support to women during labour and delivery. A doula understands the course of birth and provides emotional and physical support to the mother and her family. The birth doula offers help and advice on comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, movement, positioning, and massage. Doulas attend home and hospital births, medicated and unmedicated births, with women whose care is being overseen by midwives or doctors.

I plan to use medication for pain, do I still need a doula?

Although epidurals are effective relieving pain most of the time, there are things your epidural can not do for you. Your epidural will not:

    * Give you a massage
    * Provide you with information about your options
    * Get you ice chips
    * Give your partner a break
    * Be reassuring and nurturing
    * Help you with breathing
    * Help you with breastfeeding
    * Take photographs

Nothing can take the place of a comforting touch or words of encouragement.
The use of a doula and an epidural can give the experience that you desire and allow you to focus on the birth of your baby.

Proven benefits of doula care:

    * Decreased medical intervention in labour
    * Reduced need for cesarean by 50%
    * Reduced length of labour by 25%
    * Reduced use of oxytocin by 40%
    * Reduced the need for forceps by 40%
    * Reduced pain medication use by 30%
    * Reduced epidural request by 60%

6 weeks after birth, mothers who had doulas were:

    * less anxious and depressed
    * more confident with baby
    * more satisfied with their partner (71% vs 30%)
    * more likely to continue breastfeeding (52% vs 29%)