What is a doula?
A doula is a labour support person, who provides physical and emotion support before, during, and after labour.
Who will benefit from having a doula?
Doulas can be beneficial for all women about to give birth. Many people think that doulas are only for home births, but in actuality they can be very useful in hospital births as well. Doulas are ultimately present to support the mother and partner to have a great birthing experience. A mother can use physical and emotional support in any setting.
A doula can even be useful for a planned cesarean-section! To have someone present whose purpose is solely to ensure that the mother and partner are taken care of can be very helpful. A doula’s role is to ensure that everyone is as comfortable as possible. While other health care providers are useful, doulas are there purely for support of the parents and are not involved in the medical processes. This can be very comforting for a woman going into a completely new environment like a hospital at a time of such vulnerability.
