World Doula Week
Everyone likes a reason to celebrate and this Wednesday marks the beginning of World Doula Week 2017 – we think that a World Doula Week is a great reason to celebrate! Here are five reasons why expecting families can be thankful for doulas.
Five Reasons to Celebrate
1. Having a doula attend your labor increases the odds of having a vaginal birth and avoiding the OR. Of course, we know that sometimes babies need a bit of extra help as they arrive. Cesareans are often necessary, but when possible, a vaginal birth is healthier for women and babies both for their immediate recovery and in terms of the long term health benefits. Research shows that the Cesarean rate is higher than most experts believe is appropriate which may mean many surgical births can be prevented. Having a doula at your birth is one of the ways to reduce your risk of having an unnecessary surgical birth and that means an easier recovery for everyone.
2. Doulas decrease the use of various drugs including epidurals and narcotics during labor and help laboring women feel more comfortable during birth. Your plans for pain management are your choice. However women using the services of a doula are asking for less pain medication than those that are not using a doula. It seems that women with a doula don’t seem to need as much pharmaceutical help as those who don’t. Doulas attend all types of birth, so regardless of the your choices when it comes to epidurals or other medications, laboring women who have a doula with them are more comfortable no matter their choices. Feeling good is always a reason to celebrate!
3. Doulas increase the percentage of women who choose to breastfeed and help them feel more confident going forward with this choice. Doulas are trained in lactation support and have a wealth of resources for expecting families before and after baby arrives. Having support and encouragement during the post partum time is often exactly what a breastfeeding mother needs to help her meet her breastfeeding goals. Increased rates of breastfeeding is good for individual babies and women and is awesome for society as a whole. Healthy babies and healthy women is worth a celebration.
4. Births where a doula attends have fewer babies admitted to the NICU and babies with higher APGAR scores. This statistic is probably true for many reasons, the biggest one most likely having to do with the reason number one listed in this post – doulas reduce the number of Cesarean births and Cesarean deliveries are more likely to have babies that need NICU admissions. Cesarean deliveries can also complicate breastfeeding or delay the initiation of baby going to the breast. Babies eating well? That’s worth a party!
5. Women who used a doula report having higher levels of satisfaction of their birth experience. Do you want to enjoy your birth? Hire a doula! No one will argue that having a “healthy baby, healthy mom” is the number one outcome desired at every birth, but having a good experience *and* having a healthy experience are in no way mutually exclusive. Why not go for both? As doulas provide care before, during and after birth their relational support mean that no matter what happens during labor, women will feel supported and respected in her choices. Having that support and respect is what leads to increased satisfaction as well as over all better births. With a doula, even women who are not able to have their ideal birth feel better about the experience. Who can argue with that?
Join the Party
So now that you know why doulas are so great, have a slice of cake (or better yet, a taco) and join the party for World Doula Week! If you are in the Dallas, Fort Worth or Denton area and would like to celebrate World Doula Week by hiring a doula – contact us at Great Expectations. We would love to chat about how we can help you.