Hiring a doula is an investment in yourself that you are more than worth. Several studies have shown that continuous guidance by a woman with experience or training, separate from midwives or someone from the birthing partner's network such as partner, mother, sister, during childbirth ensures:
 

• Shorter delivery (dilation phase takes on average 2 hours shorter)

• Fewer artificial deliveries (forceps, vacuum)

• Fewer cesareans

• Fewer contractions needed

• Fewer requests for pain relief (including epidural)

• Better APGAR scores of the newborn

• Less postpartum depression

• Partner is more actively involved in birth

• Higher satisfaction with childbirth

• Faster recovery of the woman

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Source: research "the doula effect," by Dr. Marshall and Phyllis Klaus and John Kennell.

The doula effect was discovered by two pediatricians, Dr. Marshall Klaus and Dr. John Kennell. These two pediatricians wanted to investigate attachment between the mother and child in the postpartum stage. They asked students to observe women after giving birth and record their findings. The number of touches, the number of times they looked at them, the mother's use of voice, things like that. While reviewing the observations found, one thing stood out. For one student, the observations were very different from all the others. The mothers observed by this student had a better attachment to their child. Moreover, for these mothers, childbirth was much easier, shorter in duration, with fewer complications and fewer interventions. 

The pediatricians were so intrigued by this that they called the student in and asked her for an explanation for these anomalous results. The student then had to confess that she had not complied with the assignment.Instead of observing only after childbirth, she had already joined the women in the room during childbirth.Very eager to see how childbirth would go, she had only given the woman occasional encouraging glances, nothing else.The quiet presence of this student was enough for the women to be more confident in themselves.With this, the attachment research was no longer useful, BUT the pediatricians had made a huge discovery: "the doula effect.

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Figures

The results towards the doula effect on the course of childbirth are, according to the follow-up studies of the pediatricians mentioned above(1993):

• 50% fewer cesarean sections

• 25% shorter duration of childbirth

• 60% fewer requests for an epidural

• 40% less use of pitocin/oxytocin ("induction")

• 30% fewer requests for pain control

• 40% fewer forceps deliveries

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A recent study conducted by Hodnett, E.D. et al. (2007) confirms these results.Their study of more than 13,000 women found that the continuous support of, for example, a doula had the following effects: shorter duration of labor, more spontaneous vaginal deliveries, less use of pain management, and greater satisfaction with childbirth.These effects were mainly present when the support was given by someone from outside the hospital, it involved a woman, the expectant mother was supported early on during labor and when epidural was not offered as standard.Moreover, new studies show that continuous support during labor results in increased oxytocin production.This makes contractions more powerful and effective, among other things.Furthermore, it was found that when the doula took a 15-minute break, the effect almost disappeared. This underscores the importance of quality care during childbirth. Also, being supported by a woman negates the effects of stress due to the high oxytocin release. (source: Geary DC, Klein LC, Taylor SE)