What is a Doula
A doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother, and/or couple before, during and just after birth. A birth doula is not a midwife, and does not deliver babies.
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Eyla as a Doula
Eyla’s goal is to assist you in experiencing a safe and positive birth, whether in your home, a birth center, or hospital. Eyla offers non-judgemental support for all types of families assisting you through this miraculous transition. As a birth doula, educator and mother, Eyla provides emotional and physical support during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. She facilitates communication between clients & medical staff to ensure that evidence based information is provided regarding your baby’s highest well-being.
Her objective is to provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for labor progress, and help with relaxation, massage, positioning and other techniques for your comfort. Eyla will always work for you, not your caregiver or place of birth.
What effects does the presence of a doula have on birth outcomes?
Numerous clinical studies have found that a doulas presence at birth tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications, reduces potentially negative feelings about one's childbirth should things not go as planned, reduces the need for Pitocin (a labor inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction, reduces the requests for pain medication and epidurals, as well as incidents of unnecessary cesarean sections. When a doula is present during and after childbirth, women report greater satisfaction with their birth experience, make more positive assessments of their babies, have fewer c-sections and requests for medical interventions and less risk for postpartum depression.
What effects do the presence of doulas have on babies?
Studies have shown that babies born with doulas present tend to have shorter hospital stays with fewer admissions to special care nurseries, breastfeed more easily and have more affectionate mothers during the postpartum period.
Does a doula replace a nursing staff or midwives?
No. Doulas do not replaces nurses or medical staff. Doulas do not perform clinical or medical tasks such as taking blood pressure, temperature, monitoring fetal heart rate, doing vaginal exams or providing postpartum clinical care. They are there to provide evidence-based information, comfort, and support to the mother and to enhance communication between the mother and medical professionals.
Does a doula make decisions on my behalf?
No. A doula does not make decisions for clients or intervene in any medical care. Doulas provide informational and emotional support, while respecting a woman's decisions. At any point please do not tell your medical provider you are doing something because “Your Doula said so”, doula’s only present information. It is ultimately your choice.
Will a doula make my partner feel unnecessary?
No, a doula is supportive to both mother and her partner, and plays a crucial role in helping a partner become involved in the birth to the extent he/she/they feel comfortable.
When should the doula arrive?
We will decide before hand upon a window of time that everyone is comfortable with. Although it could change once labor begins! Often when doula support is offered too early on in labor it can slow things down and actually exhaust the mother. It is important for her to find confidence in her labor pattern before support arrives. The doula and mother communicate during this time and very fluidly will agree on a time to come together, sometimes it’s much later in the labor than the mother actually anticipated. Pam England in the book Birthing From Within writes, “Well-intentioned, but excessive, support in early labor (as when a birth companion hovers solicitously) can make you feel helpless, weak and dependent.”