What is a doula?
What is a doula?
Per Postpartum International, a Doula is a trained professional who guides and supports families during pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum care of the newborn and birthing person. A doula might specialize in birth support, postpartum care, or both. Doulas receive training about emotions and mental health, and in many communities they can help birthing individuals find additional resources for mental health needs during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. The goal of the doula is to help families feel supported and informed throughout pregnancy, postpartum, and after loss.
What is a birth doula?
A birth doula is a person, typically without formal obstetric training, who is employed by the birthing person to provide guidance and support during pregnancy, labor, and birth. A birth doula is a person trained to provide advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a birthing person before, during, and just after childbirth. Doula’s help to support birthing families through the life changing experience of having a baby.
With support, education, and self-determination during this time, you can own your birth! We provide evidence based, holistic, and intuitive care during pregnancy, labor, birth , and postpartum so that you can have the best birth available to you…one that aligns with your unique needs, wants, and circumstances. We help you navigate the non-linear and unpredictable path to giving birth.
There is now tons of research proving the benefits of a birth doula as part of your birth support team. Per Evidence Based Birth:
Decreased risk of cesarean birth
Increase in likelihood of spontaneous vaginal birth
Decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
Shorter labors by 41 minutes
Increase in overall satisfaction with birth experience
Blog Post: What are the Benefits of a Birth Doula?
What is a postpartum doula?
A postpartum doula provides evidenced-based information on things such as infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, mother-baby bonding, infant soothing, and basic newborn care. Research shows that moms, dads, and babies have an easier time with this transition if a good support team is in place.
Postpartum doulas provide families information and support on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from childbirth, infant soothing, and coping skills for new parents. They might also help with light housework, fix a meal and help incorporate an older child into this new experience. (PSI)
After giving birth, you will need sleep, support, and nourishment in order to recover quickly and wholly after giving birth. A postpartum doula can help you achieve this! A postpartum doula facilitates rest and provides individualized support so that you can focus on taking care of your baby and recovering, physically and emotionally. It is our goal to help facilitate healing and recovery so that you are able to focus on the most important things: you and your baby.
Our recommendations for reading about giving birth with a doula on your birth support team:
Doula’s Guide to Empowering Your Birth: A Complete Labor and Childbirth Companion for Parents to Be by Lindsey Bliss
Why Did No One Tell Me This? The Doulas’ (Honest) Guide for Expectant Parents by Natalia Hailes
Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered by Rebecca Dekker
The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Partners, Doulas, and Other Labor Companions by Penny Simkin
Podcast Episodes about Birth and Postpartum Doulas:
Episode 82: Hot Take: Birth Doulas are Only for Unmedicated Birth by Rachael Hutchins and Shannon O’brien (Aligned Birth Podcast)
Episode 76: Five Benefits of Labor Doula Support by Rachael Hutchins and Shannon O’Brien (Aligned Birth Podcast)
Episode 40: Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices by Rachael Hutchins and Shannon O’Brien (Aligned Birth Podcast)
Episode 38: Heart-Centered Work: Building a Sustainable Doula Business with Rachael Hutchins and Hannah Atterberry (Aligned Birth Podcast)
How to get started with Doula Services:
Click HERE to schedule your FREE 45-minute consultation for either Birth Doula Services, Postpartum Doula Services, OR BOTH!