Doula Support
"I realize that I will forever feel deep gratitude towards Stephanie. Stephanie is a natural caregiver. She is well informed and it is obvious that she has great respect for and understands the amazing wonders of pregnancy and birth. She is physically and emotionally strong (in her role of doula)." -Mia
What is a Doula?
A birth doula is a trained labor support person who provides emotional and physical support to a laboring woman and her partner. While she is not a medical professional, she can offer a wide range of comfort measures during labor - from massage to aromatherapy to continuous reassurance and pain coping techniques.
Women supported by a doula during labor have been shown to have:
50% reduction of cesarean rate
25% shorter labor
60% reduction in epidural requests
30% reduction in analgesia use
40% reduction in forceps delivery
From Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier and Healthier Birth by Marshall H. Klaus (Perseus Press, 1993)
The word, "doula," comes from the Greek word for the most important female slave or servant in an ancient Greek household, the woman who probably helped the lady of the house through her childbearing. The word has come to refer to "a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth." (Klaus, Kennell and Klaus, Mothering the Mother)
A doula...
Recognizes birth 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, an objective viewpoint and assistance to the woman in getting the information she needs to make good decisions...
Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and clinical careproviders...
Perceives her role as one who nutures and protects 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 the improved physical outcomes and emotional well-being of mothers and infants.
For more information or to reserve your due date...
850-350-0609
850-321-9284
info@mamaandbabylove.com
We also offer post partum care such as laundry, cooking, light house cleaning, infant care and breastfeeding support.
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