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Home › Articles › Labor Preparation › The Value of Doula Support

The Value of Doula Support

Caring, Comforting and Empowering

By Debbie RedWine, Certified Doula

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As science and technology rapidly develop, the human body and spirit are pushed to the side. Natural pregnancy and birth are seen as a waste of the latest and greatest methods of producing a perfect outcome, another notch in the belt for our increasingly technical medical society. During this process, mothers are forgotten. They are streamlined and pushed through the efficient practice of "prenatal" care.

Extended Contact
The average contact with an obstetrician/gynecologist is approximately six minutes during a visit. Mothers are left to their own resources to inform and prepare. The overwhelming amount of information available only makes this process more confusing. If they are lucky and informed, moms-to-be will use a midwife. But even now, not all midwives can spend longer periods of time with individual moms.

This is when a doula is most valuable. A doula serves. She serves as a filter for the avalanche of questions and answers an expectant mother and family may have. She serves as an anchor to help the family learn their choices and to remain firm in their decisions and beliefs. She serves as a confidant, allowing the family to express concerns, fears and expectations without judgment. She serves as a muse, hoping to inspire the family to make empowering choices. She serves as an advocate for mother and child during times when strength may waver. She serves as a woman, with her heart and hands – her most important tools. This is her most important role.


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