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Benefits of Doula Support

Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula providing birth support tends to

1. Result in shorter labors with fewer complications
2. Reduces negative feelings about one's childbirth experience
3. Reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or 
4. Vacuum extraction and cesareans
5. Reduces the mother's request for pain medication and/or epidurals

Research shows parents who receive a birth doula's support can

1. Feel more secure and cared for
2. Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
3. Have greater success with breastfeeding
4. Have greater self-confidence to make informed decisions
5. Have less postpartum depression

Doulas and Dads

Some dads who don't fully understand the doula's role feel skeptical at first and worry 
that they will be "replaced" in the delivery room. No one can replace the vital role that 
the partner (who may be the baby's father or another loved one) plays in providing 
support for the laboring woman. A doula cannot make some of the unique contributions 
that the partner makes, such as intimate knowledge of the woman and love for her and 
her child. At the same time, a doula's experience and reassurance of what's normal in 
birth can be especially comforting for dads, whose knowledge in this area may be 
(understandably) rather limited, and for moms who may be confused by the intensity of 
the sensations during labor.

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