People choose to hire doulas for many reasons, maybe they live far from family, they may be single parents, they may have had a traumatic experience when birthing their previous child. However, the one thing they have in common is the need for a little extra support and the desire to create the best possible environment for birthing their baby. As your doula I can offer that support along with the ability to create a safe environment in which you will be able to trust in your body's ability to birth your baby.
Research has shown that having a doula with you through childbirth can:
Shorten the length for labour by 25%
Reduce the need for pain relief by 30%
Reduce epidural requests by 60%
Decrease caesarean section rate by 50%
Enhance the birth experience for both mother and father
Increase the likelihood of successful breastfeeding
Why do I need a doula? Won't my birth partner be enough?
A doula's role is very different from that of your birth partner, doulas do not replace or push aside the partner. Doulas work alongside your partner providing support for them too, reassuring them along the way so that they, in turn, can support you better.
Birth partners come in many varieties. Husband, boyfriend, wife, girlfriend, mum, auntie, sister or friend and sometimes no birth partner at all. They may have little or no knowledge about birth, medical procedures, or what goes on in a hospital and why would they...this is not their role. It is also likely that they really love you! As doulas we love all our clients, but not in the same way as a romantic partner or as a parent this is great for you as it means that we still want the very best for you but we can remain objective and give balanced information.