Having a new baby is fraught with expenses. Babies seem to need endless stuff from strollers and cribs and car seats to clothes, diapers and baby bottles. Then there are the expenses related to the delivery such as midwife and hospital charges. And then you have the doula fees. It is easy for families to see doula care as dispensable and to want to skip it and its associated expenses. Yet doula care has been shown to greatly contribute to positive outcomes during labor and delivery.
Support during labor is essential. Support during labor has been associated with 25% decrease in Cesarean sections (up to 39% decrease with the presence of a doula), up to 15% increase in the likelihood of spontaneous vaginal birth, 10% decrease in the need for pain medications during labor, 38% decrease in the likelihood of lower Apgar score of the baby and 41 minutes average decrease in labor time. Doulas have been found to be a form of pain relief in themselves. Their support therefore contributes to less need for epidurals. Since epidurals often lead to medicalization of labor with the subsequent increased need for Pitocin and other interventions, decreasing the need for epidural is a key step in achieving a natural childbirth. Therefore, for mothers desiring a natural childbirth with minimum interventions having a doula is an essential tool in their toolkit for coping with labor pain.
While the evidence points unequivocally to the utility of doulas for mothers desiring natural childbirth, doulas are a must-have for all mothers. It is clear that support is essential for mothers to cope with labor. Doulas support has been found to contribute to increased satisfaction with labor and delivery. Thus, even when things do not go as expected, doulas can help mothers feel empowered and more able to cope. Of the women who knew what a doula is but chose not to hire one, up to 27% later wished they had a doula.
Many mothers think that the labor and delivery nurses and their partners will provide enough support. Research however show that labor and delivery nurses only spend 31% of the birthing person’s labor in the room with them. Most of that time was spend in clinical tasks, in fact nurses only spend 12% of the time providing labor support. That time varied with the experience of the nurse. Partners can provide support too, but in my experience, many men are ill-prepared for their role in the delivery room. Men know little about labor and delivery, are often unprepared for the rigors of labor, feel uncomfortable seeing their partners in pain and can be unsure of their role as a support person. While many men provide wonderful support to their partners in labor, they often need breaks and may feel too emotionally invested in the labor to be able to provide a nonjudgmental presence. A doula does not take over the role of the partner but helps both people have a positive experience.
With all the clear benefits of having a doula, it is helpful to think of hiring one as an essential service on par with finding a hospital and medical provider. You can even request funds for doula support as part of your baby shower gifts.
