It is my honor and pleasure to support women through their empowering rite of passage into motherhood.  Becoming a doula is an answer to my calling where I give women comfort and support that they deserve during pregnancy, labor and delivery.  I feel very blessed to be doing what I love.

 Julie Morris CD(DONA)
Certified Birth Doula

What is a doula?

 A doula is a woman who is knowledgeable about childbirth, understanding the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor.  She provides continuous emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint while remaining with the woman throughout the entire labor and birth.

 The constant support is possible because doulas have no other “patients” to attend to, no shift change and no other responsibilities other than the overall well being of the woman in labor. 

 Expectant fathers want to share every aspect of labor with their partner by being actively involved.  The doula does not replace the father.  The doula assists by offering helpful and knowledgeable tips for the father while also offering additional support for the mom.  They in turn, become a team with the mother’s physical comfort and emotional well being as their goal.

 A doula learns the desires of the mother and their partner by meeting with them during pregnancy.  This is where they discuss birth preferences, comfort measures and distinguish the perceived roles of the partner and the doula.

 Controlled trials involving over a thousand women demonstrate that the presence of a doula results in:

• 50% decrease in cesarean sections
• 25% decrease in length of labor
• 30% decrease in use of forceps
• 40% decrease in use of oxytocin
• 60% decrease in use of epidurals
• 30% decrease in pain medications (narcotics)

 In addition, long-term benefits of labor support include:

• Improved breastfeeding
• Decreased postpartum depression
• Greater maternal satisfaction

 Statistics compiled from Mothering the Mother, by MH Klaus, JH Kennell, and PH Klaus; Addison Wesley Publications Company, 1993.

 Research also shows that women who were supported by doulas during labor reported:

v    Labor and birth as less painful

v    Feeling more in control of birth

v    Less anxiety after birth

v    Feeling of increased self confidence

v    A lower incidence of postpartum depression

v    Increased incidence of breastfeeding at 6 weeks

v    Improved relationship with their partners

2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.