Okay, I’m going to be honest with you. You don’t need a birth doula to have a successful, satisfying or even natural birth.
Any good birth doula will admit that your body knows what it’s doing when it comes to birthing your child. But you might want someone reminding you of that in the intense moments of labor. Someone who isn’t as exhausted and emotionally spent as you and your spouse.
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I was so grateful I had my doula throughout my unexpectedly long labor (read my full birth story here). Not because I feel I could not have had a natural birth without her. But because she was a constant, unshakable support to both me and my husband.
What’s So Great About Having a Birth Doula
I didn’t know my doula outside of our professional relationship, so I wasn’t embarrassed for her to see me in the various, messy stages of labor. That messy process was exactly why she was there.
I had the comfort of knowing this person was being paid to help me, so I didn’t have to worry that I was burdening an emotionally involved family member to stay awake with me as I labored through the night.
At the same time, I felt deeply cared for and attentively ministered to by my sweet doula. Her sole focus was on meeting my needs.
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My husband also appreciated having a birth doula. Having her present meant that he could leave to get food and drink without worrying that I would be alone.
And, while my husband is as steady and strong as a rock, he was exhausted, sleep-deprived and not feeling all that well while I was in labor.
Something we sometimes forget during our pregnancy preparations for birth is that the man labors too. Not to the same extent as the woman, for sure. But he still goes through a physically, mentally and emotionally challenging several hours during the birthing process.
A birth doula is equipped to help both mom and dad through the challenges each of them may face during childbirth.
The Research on Birth Doulas
In all fairness to the scientific world, the studies that have been done investigating the impact of birth doulas have been rated as low quality. Personally, I still have faith in the research because it all makes logical sense.
But before we discuss the available research on birth doulas, take a look at some snippets of research on childbirth in the U.S.
- The national c-section rate is nearly 32% (see c-section rates by state here), well over the 10-15% the WHO (World Health Organization) dictates as beneficial to the health and well-being of mothers and newborns.
- Women who have a vaginal birth report higher birth satisfaction than those who have a c-section, says this study.
- Support from caregivers is significantly more predictive of a positive birth experience than medical circumstances surrounding the birth according to this systematic review of 137 studies.
- Mothers who feel in control of their own birth are more likely to feel satisfied with their birth experience, according to this small-scale study.
- 71% of pregnant American women get an epidural during labor according to Stanford Medicine.
- 3% of births in 2018 were vacuum or forecepts-assisted (see the chart showing percentages by year here).
- Based on this study of healthy pregnant women giving birth without oxytocin or an epidural, the average duration of active labor (4cm dilated) until delivery is 8 1/2 hours for first-time moms and just under 6 hours for women who have given birth before.
Now, what positive impact can a doula have on some of the above-mentioned aspects of the birth experience? Well, this Cochrane systematic review of 26 studies on doula or doula-like support sought to answer that question.
The review involving 15,858 women in 17 different countries found that having continuous support during labor, such as that which a doula provides, led to mothers being more likely to have a spontaneous vaginal birth and less likely to feel negatively about their birth experience.
Doula support also meant mothers were less likely to get an epidural. More importantly, they had shorter labors, were less likely to have a c-section and were less likely to have a vacuum or forecepts-assisted birth. The review additionally indicated that two trials showed a possible correlation between having continuous birthing support and lower rates of postpartum depression.
I firmly believe having a doula improves the birthing experience simply because of the amazing support a doula provides. And I believe my own birth experience was more fulfilling as a result of having a birth doula.
Why I’m Glad I Had a Birth Doula
Some expectant mamas (or their spouses) may not feel a birth doula is necessary, and that is totally fine. You have to do what works best for you.
But I wrote this post hoping to bring some clarity to the purpose of having a birth doula. Because when I first began learning about doulas during the first half of my pregnancy with my daughter, I didn’t understand why such a thing might be necessary or desirable.
The only reason I initially looked into having a birth doula was because of the benefits mentioned in Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth – a book I highly recommend reading if you are considering having a natural birth.
I ended up deciding to get a doula in an effort to to do everything possible that would prepare me to have a successful natural birth.
In the end, it really wasn’t difficult for me to go without an epidural – I never even wanted one (although I probably would have ended up with one if I hadn’t put the effort into preparing for a natural birth). But I was still glad I had my doula.
If you’re still confused about why someone would feel the need to have a birth doula, here is a breakdown of everything my doula did for me that otherwise might not have happened.
~ How My Birth Doula Helped Me ~
- She was constantly by my side throughout labor – I was never alone.
- She recommended things we could do to progress my extremely slow labor.
- She woke with me every single time I woke up during the night to breathe through contractions with me.
- She held my cup to fulfill my request for a sip of water after every single contraction.
- She regularly wetted and applied a cool washcloth to my forehead – something I wouldn’t have thought to ask for but was extremely soothing.
- She helped me work through my sudden fear of pushing which was quite possibly stalling my labor without me even realizing it.
- She encouraged me to do whatever felt best to my body when the nurses urged me to push more frequently toward the end.
- She got some precious pictures of me, my husband and our brand new baby literally moments after she was born.
- She helped me calm down during the excruciating post-birth pain of the doctor checking me “down there.”
- She fed me while I nursed and bonded with my new baby.
- She praised my childbearing efforts and abilities before, during and after labor – she still does this even two years later! What an encouragement!
- She visited me a couple of weeks after the birth and again a few months later, not to fawn over my baby, but to see how I was doing as a new mama.
Feeding me after my daughter was born is honestly the thing I am the most grateful to my doula for (well, that and the constant watering after each contraction).
By the end of my 37-hour labor, I was too exhausted and too busy anxiously trying to breastfeed my new baby to be able to feed myself. But I so desperately needed food, and my doula did the work for me of literally spoon-feeding me.
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It was the ultimate act of service she could have possibly done for me. She met my physical needs so that I could meet my baby’s needs.
And that is exactly what a doula does. She puts the mama first – in whatever way mama needs – because she knows that from now on, mama will always be putting her baby’s needs before her own.
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