Why have a Doula
Often a friend, sister or mother may act in a supportive capacity for a woman during pregnancy and labour, and many families will "muck" in and help after a baby is born. However, family and friends may not always be available and if they are could in some cases cause conflict by comparing your parenting methods less favourably to the ones they remember. Alternatively if you hire a doula she will provide unconditional support, no matter what your choices and help you to achieve the outcome you want.
I am trained to put my own feelings, biases and opinions to one side when supporting others. I will not say things like "you should" or "what I did was" but will use compassion and listening skills to find out what you want and then use my skills to support you in achieving this. In addition, I am committed to keeping myself up to date with current research and recommendations to allow me to work in harmony with the health professionals.
The benefits of having a doula present at a birth is backed up by research and is shown to:
· Shorten first labours by an average of 2 hours
· Decrease the chance of caesarean section by 50%
· Decrease the need for pain relieving drugs
· Help fathers participate with confidence
· Increase breast-feeding success
(Taken from "Mothering the Mother" by Klaus, Kennell & Klaus, 1993)
Often a friend, sister or mother may act in a supportive capacity for a woman during pregnancy and labour, and many families will "muck" in and help after a baby is born. However, family and friends may not always be available and if they are could in some cases cause conflict by comparing your parenting methods less favourably to the ones they remember. Alternatively if you hire a doula she will provide unconditional support, no matter what your choices and help you to achieve the outcome you want.
I am trained to put my own feelings, biases and opinions to one side when supporting others. I will not say things like "you should" or "what I did was" but will use compassion and listening skills to find out what you want and then use my skills to support you in achieving this. In addition, I am committed to keeping myself up to date with current research and recommendations to allow me to work in harmony with the health professionals.
The benefits of having a doula present at a birth is backed up by research and is shown to:
· Shorten first labours by an average of 2 hours
· Decrease the chance of caesarean section by 50%
· Decrease the need for pain relieving drugs
· Help fathers participate with confidence
· Increase breast-feeding success
(Taken from "Mothering the Mother" by Klaus, Kennell & Klaus, 1993)
