Birth Doulas: Overview
Birth Doula Care
Giving birth is one of life's most amazing and intense experiences.
Since ancient times, pregnant women have turned to caring and experienced women called doulas for support and guidance in childbirth.
As modern women have discovered this age-old tradition of woman-to-woman support, doulas have once again become the key to safer, easier, and happier births.
Doulas Defined
A doula is a woman experienced in childbirth who provides you with continuous emotional, physical, and informational support before, during, and after the birth of your baby.
A Doula:
- Shares her knowledge of the physiology of pregnancy and birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labour
- Gets to know you prenatally, helping you identify what is important to you about your birth
- Attends your birth, day or night
- Offers suggestions for coping with labour, and helps labour unfold as quickly and easily as possible
- Facilitates communication between the woman, her partner, and her clinical care providers
- Works together with the mother's partner to provide support to the mother, and suggests ways the partner can help
Doulas Make A Difference
In modern days, labours attended by doulas have been found to be shorter, with less complications and requiring fewer medical interventions.
A recent Systematic Review of 15 gold standard Randomized Controlled Trials studied doula support of over 13,000 women. This study found that women supported by a doula were:
- 26% less likely to give birth by cesarean section
- 41% less likely to give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
- 28% less likely to use any analgesia or anesthesia
- 36% less likely to be dissatisfied with or negatively rate their birth experience
Doulas Work With Everyone
Birth Roots doulas are trained to support you during your birth. We see each woman and family as unique. Your birth will unfold in its own way and you will make choices that are right for you. Our job as your doula is to support you through this beautiful birth experience that is your own.
We are able to support you if you are low risk or high risk, using a midwife or doctor, planning a homebirth or hospital birth - you and your partner are entitled to the support of a doula. As well, doulas work with clients who want to avoid medications, as well as those clients who are planning to use medications.
As both the mothers who have used doulas and the doctors who have studied them will tell you, hiring a doula is the best thing you can do for your birth.
Register For A Birth Doula:
If you are interested in having a Doula or would like to talk with a Doula to ask more questions we recommend filling out our online registration. Once you have completed this you will receive a call from one of our doulas within 7 days. She will set up a no fee, no obligation meeting with you. This is a chance for you to ask her questions and decide if a doula is the right option for you.
Availability:
You can register for a doula at anytime during your pregnancy. Just remember we are subject to availability.
Cost:
The standard fee for the Birth Doula service is $575.00 + GST. This fee is broken up into several payments. You may qualify for our sliding scale program if you receive the healthy baby benefit or are on social assistance.
Returning Clients:
If you used our Birth Doula service for a previous birth you receive a $50.00 discount off of our current standard fee.
Remember: please call early so that we are able to ensure that your Doula will be available to you.