Do you doula?

“You can’t go wrong hiring a doula,” says Aimee Butier. “A doula can only help the situation. Nurses and doctors are in and out of the delivery room, a doula is constantly with you and doesn’t leave.”

“By far the greatest benefit was having a neutral person in the room whose emotions were removed from the situation,” adds Butier. “Someone who could think clearly, navigate family, help with communication (with the nurses and family), and had all the tools and knew all the tricks to making my experience comfortable. It was like having a personal assistant. My husband and family could enjoy the experience and stress less.”

What is a doula? According to Rachel Gurevich, author of The Doula Advantage, “A doula is a professional who provides emotional, physical, informational, and practical support for the expectant, laboring, or postpartum mother.” There are birth doulas, postpartum doulas, and some doulas who do both types of work.

A birth doula will meet with you during your pregnancy to discuss birth options and formulate a birth plan. Once you are in labor, the doula provides comfort measures (such as guidance on birthing ball positions), assists in creating a positive birth experience by helping you relax and feel confident, and helps the father participate in the birth in whatever way he feels comfortable. Doulas are not there to replace the medical staff or to judge your choices about giving birth.

In a 1999 meta-analysis (Scott, Berkowitz & KIaus, California) that combined the findings of five different studies on birth doulas, it was found that continuous support from a doula during labor: reduces requests for pain medication by 36 percent, reduces the need for a cesarean section by 51 percent, reduces the occurrence of forceps deliveries by 57 percent, and reduces the length of labor by an average of one hour and 38 minutes.

Cyndi Whitwell was the birth doula for Suzanne Miller when Miller’s daughter was born last January. “Cyndi was with us from 8:30 a.m. until 4 a.m.—almost 20 hours straight,” Miller says. “She helped me find comfortable labor positions and made sure (my husband) Jim ate. She produced blankets, cold compresses, and juice for me whenever I needed them. She made it possible for Jim to hold my hand during almost every contraction. When my labor stalled, she helped us understand why and what our options were for helping it to progress.”

For someone who is hesitant to hire a doula, Miller says, “You will never have a second chance to have this baby, so make sure you put yourself in a position to have the best possible birth experience.”

A postpartum doula helps out in your home, usually for three to four hours at a time, after you have a baby. Postpartum doulas provide breastfeeding support, infant and sibling care, mom care, light household help (like dishes and laundry), and are a resource for all of your postpartum questions. They are also trained to watch for signs of postpartum depression.

Some doulas offer special expertise such as infant massage instruction, vegetarian cooking, or babyproofing. There are also doulas who provide overnight care.

When Teresa Partington was expecting twins she was advised to “take out a loan” if necessary to hire a doula to help with the babies at night. Her doula, Jennifer Rode, has provided “help which has made it possible for my husband and me to get rested so we can enjoy this precious time of our children’s lives. Jennifer has provided us with breastfeeding information, help with caring for newborns, and even help with caring for our marriage during this time of change. It is so important that new parents (of multiples, in particular) are made aware that this special help is available to them.”

Birth doula fees can range from $400 to $800 and sometimes higher depending on the doula’s experience. Postpartum doulas typically charge between $15 and $35 an hour. If financing a doula is a budget concern for you, there are ways to work it out. For shower or baby gifts ask friends and family to donate to a doula fund or have them purchase gift certificates for doula services. Often doulas can arrange a financing plan for you so that you can spread out your payments and some doulas work on a sliding scale based on your income. Check with your health insurance provider and with you and your partner’s employers to see if compensation for birth or postpartum care is available.

Check the following resources, or ask your obstetrician, midwife, pediatrician, local baby store, or other moms about doulas.

Childbirth and Postpartum Professionals of America

Doula Network

Doula World

Doulas of North America

La Leche League International

National Association of Postpartum Care Services