PREGNANT? You, and your baby deserve a DOULA!

What is a DOULA?

DOULA is a Greek word referring to an experienced woman who helps other women. The word now has come to mean "a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuious physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after childbirth. A Birth Doula: >recognizes childbirth as a key life experience that the mother will remember all her life. >understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor. >assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth. >stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor and delivery. >provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make good decisions. >facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner, and clinical care providers. >perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of her birth experience.

A Growing Trend

The acceptance of Doula's in maternity care is growing rapidly with the recognition of their important contribution to the improved physical outcomes and emotional well being of mothers and infants. For more information on having a DOULA assisted birth or to become a DOULA yourself, click on the Doula's of North America link on this page. If you live in the Dayton, Ohio area and would like a DOULA assisted birth, please e-mail me at the link on this page or call Andrea Davis at 937-374-0176. Click below to find out more about Doula Assisted Births!

Why YOU need a doula!