Your Birth Doula Care
Providing emotional, physical, and informational support during pregnancy, labor, and birth

Madeleine McLaughlin, LSP

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doula (doo-lah) n.
Doula is a Greek word whose definition has come to mean a woman who helps other women.  The word has further evolved to mean a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous emotional, physical, and informational support to the mother before, during, and after birth.  Throughout history and in many parts of the world today, a group of women assist a woman through labor and birth, helping with comfort measures and giving continuous emotional support. 
As your doula I:

  • Recognize birth is a pivotal experience you and your partner will always remember
  • Understand the physiology of birth and your emotional needs during labor
  • Assist you in preparing for and carrying out your plans for birth
  • Remain with you during your labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum period to assist you with breastfeeding
  • Provide emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint while empowering you with information to make informed decisions
  • Encourage open communication between you, your partner, and your care providers
  • Strive to nurture and protect your memory of the birth experience
  • Provide support and encouragement for your partner, so he/she may better help you
  • Support you in the environment in which you choose to give birth: birth center, home, or hospital
Mothers who use doulas often report more positive memories of their birth experience, higher success of breastfeeding, increased confidence in caring for themselves and their babies, decreased incidence of postpartum mood disorders, and decreased levels of anxiety.  In addition to these benefits, the continuous support of a doula during labor and birth has been shown to reduce the following*:

  • Overall cesarean rate by 50%
  • Length of labor by 25%
  • Pitocin use by 40%
  • Forceps use by 40%
  • Pain medication use by 30%
  • Request for epidurals by 60%
*From Mothering the Mother, Marshall H. Klaus, M.D., John H. Kennell, M.D., and Phyllis H. Klaus, M.Ed., C.S.W., 1993
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