What is a Birth Doula and Why do I Want One?
March 22 kicks off World Doula Week 2022. World Doula Week Celebrates doulas across the globe and how they make a difference for families. So what’s a birth doula and why do you need one? As a birth doula, I am basically the birthing person’s big sister. I am there to do whatever they and their partner need of me. I will hold your hand, rub your back, and cheer you on if you want me to. Or I might help with snacks, water, cold/hot packs, essential oils, bathroom breaks for the birth partner, creating a birth plan, setting up the (home) birth space, coming up with a coping technique, pain relief, emotional support, and more. The list goes on and on, but the point is, I am there for you. Not the baby, not the medical team, not your guests. I serve you, the birthing person.
A doula’s role is important because it helps birthing people not only enjoy and perceive their birth better, but they also tend to have better outcomes. Did you know that just having a doula in the room helps birthing people feel more calm and comfortable? Or that the presence of a doula during birth reduces the length of labor by 25%, pain medication use by 30%, cesarean rate by 50%, and overall interventions by 40-60%? The presence of a doula is also significantly correlated with better fetal outcomes including birth weight, time spent in the hospital, and breastfeeding.
Having a doula can truly set yourself up for the best possible birth experience by having someone to lean on who has your best interests in mind. Your midwife or medical team is present to make sure you and baby are physically safe during labor and delivery, but they may have several other patients, or have their hands full with medical duties. Your birth partner is there to support you, but is also going through a major life experience of their own. If this is their first child as well, they may be anxious or uncertain of what to do. Together, we fill the full spectrum of support.
