Doula

Photo of baby feeding

Doulas provide labour support and are shown to offer many benefits through their continual support. 


A new study by Ellen D. Hodnett, RN, PhD, Professor and Heather M. Reisman Chair of Perinatal Nursing Research, University of Toronto, and co-authors of

“Continuous Support for Women During Childbirth".

The findings are summarized as...

Overall, women who received supportive care from a companion throughout labor were less likely than women without such support to have a cesarean section, to use narcotics or any other pain medication, to use regional pain medication such as epidural analgesia, to give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps, and to rate their childbirth experience poorly. Having continuous support shortened labor and increased the likelihood of having a "spontaneous" birth with neither cesarean nor vacuum extraction nor forceps. These results confirm previous research. With the inclusion of six new randomized controlled trials, the present systematic review, identified another benefit of continuous labor support: reduced likelihood of a baby with a poor "Apgar score" rating of well being five minutes after birth. The authors conclude that all women should have continuous support while giving birth
 
The statistics most often quoted for the impact of doulas have changed. The new statistics are..

Compared with women who had no continuous support, women with companions who were neither on the hospital staff nor in the woman's social network were:
  • 28% less likely to have a cesarean section
  • 31% less likely to use synthetic oxytocin to speed labor
  • 9% less likely to use any pain medication
  • 34% less likely to rate their childbirth experience negatively

consider asking to find the right doula for your family.

DONA International
Canadian Mothercraft for the Birth Companion and Parent Companion Program

Signy Fridriksson 613-233-8438

Hayley Kew DONA and CAPPAhayleykew@gmail.com 613 864 0996

Heather Olszewski heatherko@rogers.com

Elaine Bisson CD(DONA) elainebisson@gmail.com

Victoria Kellett CD(DONA) victoria.kellett@golden.net 613-867-7563

Aline Paradis 613 612 8289 

Susan Wheat  swheat@smypatico.ca 613 447 8726 

Shannon MacFarlane  613 286 0870

Mary Kuzniuk 2bellybe@gmail.com 613-324-9370