A doula is a woman who is both experienced and trained in assisting women in childbirth. She provides the needed continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother and her partner before, during, and just after childbirth.

A birth doula:
  • recognizes childbirth as a key life experience that the mother will remember all her life.
  • understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor.
  • assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their birth plans.
  • stays with the laboring mother from early labor through delivery and early postpartum.
  • provides emotional support, comfort measures, an objective viewpoint and helps the woman get the information she needs to make good decisions.
  • facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner, and her care providers.
  • sees her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of her birth experience.
  • aids the partner in supporting the mother.

Research indicates that doulas improve outcomes in childbirth. With the support of a doula, moms and babies are happier and healthier, medical interventions are minimized, and expenses are reduced. A meta-analysis of ten randomized trials of continuous labor support found the presence of a doula to reduce:
  • overall cesarean rates by 45 percent;
  • length of labor by 25 percent;
  • oxytocin use by 50 percent;
  • pain medication by 31 percent;
  • forceps delivery by 34 percent;
  • requests for epidurals by 10 - 50 percent. 1
Doula support provides long-lasting emotional benefits to a mother by providing her with:

  • greater satisfaction with her childbirth experience;
  • a more positive assessment of her baby; and
  • less postpartum depression.
Doula support also positively affects birth outcomes for the baby by:
  • reducing hospital stays and admissions to special care nurseries;
  • making breastfeeding easier; and
  • making mothers more affectionate toward their babies postpartum.2
These are the types of benefits you can expect by hiring Transitions Birth Doulas.

1 Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus, "The Doula Book"
2 Doulas of North America