from birth: continuous and personalized support

Who is she?

A birth doula is a trained perinatal companion who provides emotional, physical, and organizational support to expectant parents. She guides them with compassion throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the baby's first weeks of life.

What it brings

Respectful and enlightening support

• Informs and listens with empathy;

• Respects parents' values and beliefs;

• Supports their reflective process for free and informed decisions;

• Understands the physiological processes of birth.

  
  

Continuous presence and concrete support at every stage

• In prenatal: establishes a secure bond of trust and promotes a physiological course of birth;

• During childbirth: Provides an active and continuous presence, with constant attention to physical, emotional and informational needs. Helps understand choices and facilitates communication with medical teams;

• Postnatal: extends support to normalize needs and support the development of parental skills.

  
  

Support for the partner

• Accompanies him so that he finds his place;

• Strengthens his confidence and involvement;

• Offers concrete ways to support the person giving birth;

• Provides moments of respite when needed.

  
  

Personalized attention

• Develops a special relationship before birth;

• Intimately knows the needs and aspirations of the family;

• Identifies situations requiring special attention;

• Refers to appropriate community resources.

It is this global, personalized and continuous approach that generates the recognized benefits of birth support.

Services a birth doula can offer

• Customized prenatal preparation meetings;

• Help creating a birth plan;

• Continuous support during labor and presence at birth;

• Postnatal support visits;

• Regular communication throughout the process.

Some evidence

Empirical studies have demonstrated the benefits of retaining the services of a birth doula:

• Shorter delivery, with fewer complications;

• Fewer negative feelings experienced;

• Fewer interventions, including synthetic oxytocin, or the use of forceps or suction cups;

• Less use of epidurals;

• Decreased use of caesarean sections;

• Decreased postpartum depression;

• Improved breastfeeding success rate;

• Increased potency during childbirth and postnatally;

• Improved parents' self-confidence.

   

Ellen D Hodnett 1 , Simon Gates , G Justus Hofmeyr , Carol Sakala , Continuous support for women during childbirth . 2017.