First off, what is a Doula? I won’t assume you’re all knowing because I certainly wasn’t – I had never heard of such a thing until I was pregnant and a friend told me about her Doula mum.

So, in simple terms, a Doula is a birth coach; a non-medical labour assistant who provides support for a woman by encouraging her and explaining what’s going on in the delivery room.

My husband was my unofficial Doula, and he was totally awesome. Here’s a little FYI: Doula comes from a Greek word meaning ‘female servant or slave.’ My fabulous man certainly slaved to my every need and I love him all the more for it.

But back to business; why consider a professional Doula?

A recent survey carried out by Doula UK revealed that births with Doula support have more chance of successful breastfeeding and a lower chance of intervention during labour.

What is a Doula

* 93 per cent of women interviewed attempted to breastfeed, with 70 per cent still exclusively breastfeeding after six weeks. (Compared to the latest stats from the Department of Health, where 74.1 per cent of new mums attempt breastfeeding with only 47 per cent still exclusively breastfeeding at six weeks.)

* 12 per cent of the doula supported births required medical intervention, such as ventouse or forceps or Caesarean, compared to the latest national figures of 37.3 per cent.

There’s your answer – those are pretty impressive stats, right!

It should also be mentioned that Doulas are pretty liberal minded; they support all birth choices. Essentially, they are there to help.

For more info, visit Doula.org.uk.

Source: Familyfriendlyworking.co.uk – “New survey shows Doulas have a significant impact upon breastfeeding and birth”

 

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