What's a Doula???

So most of my fantastic clients are probably unaware of the fact that I am currently preparing to apply to midwifery college, hoping to start next year. I've been working on the prerequisites to do so, and one of them was to take a labor doula workshop that is supposed to help you to get a bit deeper understanding of childbirth and hopefully give you some insight into whether you would like to continue down the path towards becoming a midwife or not. So while I don't intend to practice as a doula, I've been taking this course for the past 3 months. And I was really amazed by the statistics that are out there that show the benefits of mothers having a doula present for their children's births. A doula is a woman who helps women and their families through labor and birth. Here are some of the statistical changes in a birth that a doula makes.
50% reduction in the cesarean rate
25% shorter labor
60% reduction in epidural requests
40% reduction in oxytocin use
30% reduction in analgesia use
40% reduction in forceps delivery
I got this info here.
And just to clarify, most doulas attend births in the hospital, and you don't need to be planning a drug free all natural birth to hire a doula. They can be very helpful to all women regardless of your plans for your birth.

In this class I was able to get to know some absolutely phenomenal ladies. We laughed and bonded, and I really felt like one of the best parts of the class was to meet new friends. So when Lena and Corinne asked me to take some photos of them to use for their new website I was so excited. They are currently still in training and are looking for mamas who would be interested in their services at a very discounted rate. So if you are interested you can call them at 503.307.8614 or e-mail info@cascadiabirth.com .