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You might be asking yourself many questions, What is a doula? What does a doula do? Do I
need a doula? Perhaps what does a doula charge?? Will a doula take over and leave my partner out??
(from the DONA Website)
The word, "doula," comes from the Greek word for
the most important female slave or servant in an ancient Greek household, the woman who probably helped the lady of the house
through her childbearing. The word has come to refer to "a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical,
emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth." (Klaus, Kennell and Klaus, Mothering
the Mother)
According to Mothering the Mother, How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier and Healthier
Birth, by Kennell, Klaus, and Kennell (1993), having a doula can give you a:
* 50% reduction in cesarean rates
* 25% shorter labor
* 60% reduction in epidural requests
* 40% reduction in oxytocin (pitocin) use
* 30% reduction in analgesia use
* 40% reduction in forceps delivery 
A doula is not there to take over the clients birth, a doula is there to provide the client and her
partner with extra support. Empowering them with support and extra knowledge of the birth and labor process.
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