Why Hire a Doula?
Doula-supported births have been shown to have the following:
Effects on Birth Outcomes:
- Shorter labors with fewer complications
- Cesarean rates are reduced by 50%*
- There is 40% less need for oxytocin to speed up labor
- Need for forceps is reduced by 40%
- Women request 30% less pain medication and 60% fewer epidurals*
Benefits to Mom & Baby:
- More report greater satisfaction with their birth experience
- More positive assessments of their babies
- Less postpartum depression
- Babies have shorter hospital stays with fewer admissions to special are nurseries
- Babies breastfeed more easily
- Mothers are more affectionate to their babies postpartum
* Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier and Healthier Birth
by Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus (1993)