Research Supports Doulas

Most women already know that doulas can be beneficial during labor.  They provide emotional support, empower mothers, and help ensure that a woman's birth plan is carried out.  Doulas make sure that women are given the tools they need to make informed decisions about their pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum experiences.

An article in the The Cochrane Library provides some evidence based research supporting the use of doulas during birth.  They found that, compared with women who had no continuous support, women with companions [doulas or labor assistants] who were neither on the hospital staff nor in the woman's social network were:

• 28% less likely to have a cesarean section
• 31% less likely to use synthetic oxytocin to speed labor
• 9% less likely to use any pain medication
• 34% less likely to rate their childbirth experience negatively.

Read the entire article here.  Continuous-Labor-Support-Reduces-Risk-Cesarean-Section-Other-Adverse-Outcomes-Women-1397061.htm