Kate The Doula Provo Utah Doula

A doula is a someone who is there at your birth just for you. Her only objectives are to support and comfort you, and to help you give voice to your needs and preferences.

She has been professionally trained to know how to provide emotional, physical, and informational support for laboring moms.

Women who receive this kind of continuous care are significantly less likely to need pain medications, forceps or vacuum extraction, and surgical birth, and they consistently feel greater satisfaction with their births.

Want to see some actual stats? Continue Reading »»

Not at all! A doula is there to help you get the support you need–whatever it is. If that means you want the epidural in the hospital parking lot, she’ll be there to track down the anesthesiologist for you!

Just like in so many other areas in life, there is no right way to birth! Different situations warrant different decisions. Doulas can help make sure you are knowledgeable about the risks and benefits of various pain-relief options so that you can make a truly informed and confident decision with no regrets.

However, many women find that the special comforting skills offered by their doula, combined with their own mental preparation, diminish the need for pharmacological pain relief. Even very un-crazy, non-hippies. ;)

Whether dad wants to be highly involved, or would feel more comfortable in a less-active role, a doula will adapt her style accordingly, never taking over for him!

With her special knowledge of birth, a doula can facilitate Dad’s involvement by showing him how to help–reminding him about counter-pressure, cold and heat, or providing massage tools for him to use.

She can also spell him when he needs a break, or, when the two of you are handling it just fine, she can act as the protector of your space, making sure others know not to interrupt your rhythm.

Yes! There are lots of fabulous books on the subject.

While it’s good to be discerning–not all books are equally valid, or useful–there are many that have been written with the explicit intention of communicating fair, evidenced-based information, some even citing scientific studies for every claim they make.

The books I recommend are all on the approved reading list for DONA International. DONA is the largest doula organization in the world, and the one through which our local hospital ask its doulas to become certified. They have several other books on their list, but these are some I found especially reliable, enjoyable, and useful.

See my list of favorites »»