Gina Tucker

Birth Doula

The word “doula” comes from ancient Greek meaning “handmaiden.”  It is now used to refer to a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and educational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth.  Research studies have found that when doulas attend births with the family, labors are shorter, there are fewer complications and there is less need for medical interventions including pitocin, epidurals and cesarean sections. Their presence helps babies breastfeed more easily.

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 plans for the birth…
• Stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor…
• Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make good decisions…
• Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and clinical care providers…
• Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman’s memory of her birth experience…

The acceptance of doulas in maternity care is growing rapidly with the recognition of their important contribution to improved physical outcomes and emotional well being of mothers and infants.  They are found in all birth settings, from the home to the hospital and work in cooperation with physicians, nurses, midwives and the partners and families of laboring women.

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