Doula? What is that?

 dou·la/ˈdo͞olə/noun

1. a woman, typically without formal obstetric training, who is employed to provide guidance and support to a pregnant woman during labor. "From admission through delivery, a doula stayed at her assigned patient's side"
   • a woman employed to provide guidance and support to the mother of a newborn baby. "My mother-in-law hired a postpartum doula to help me for a couple of weeks"

An important thing to understand is that doulas have no medical authority or stance. We do not preform any clinical testing including cervical exams to check progress of labor. We have 4 main aspects to our serving abilities and those are: emotional support, physical support, informational support, and advocacy. We make no medical decisions, but educate you so that you can make a fully informed and educated decision. Within your laboring and birth room we really take care of what you're needing. Reading the situation and seeing where we are needed. If that means walking you to a bath tub, getting you a cup of tea, or just sitting there and holding space, we are there for you!

Statistics don't lie ya'll! The benefits of having a doula at your birth bring up the question of why not a doula? Having a birth working professional present who provides the 4 elements of support listed above gives us some beautiful numbers! The statistics show that having a doula in the birth room decreases the overall cesarean rate , the length of labor , the use of synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin), and epidural requests. Things change when you simply have someone there who believes in your natural ability to give birth and walk with you every step of the way.