top of page
A person with medium-toned skin and long curly dark hair presses their head against another's pregnant belly, eyes closed, smiling

Benefits of Having A Birth Doula:
Research Findings

A birther with medium-light skin and long, straight dark brown hair stands in a room with a tall ceiling and natural light filtering in. They are dressed in white lace lingerie and light, silky white robe. Their face is tilted upward and their eyes are closed, as though their attention were turned ectastically inward.

The Birth Experience

Doula-supported birthers:
 

  • Report more positivity regarding the birth experience (Hodnett & Osborn, 1989; Wolman, 1991)
     

  • Are more likely to carry their babies to term (Ramsey-Collier, 2022)
     

  • Are less likely to have babies whose birth weights are low (Ramsey-Collier, 2022)
     

Across different hospitals, birth risk-statuses, and birth doula qualifications, the support of a birth doula:
 

  • Reduces the need for epidural analgesia (64.7% vs 76.0% in one study) (McGrath & Kennell, 2008)
     

  • Reduces the likelihood that pain medication is used (Hodnett & Osborn, 1989)
     

  • Reduces the likelihood of cesarean section delivery; increases the likelihood of vaginal delivery (Hodnett & Osborn, 1989; McGrath & Kennell, 2008; Ramey-Collier et al., 2022)

    • 13.4% vs 25.0%, in McGrath & Kennell, 2008

    • 52.9% lower odds in Steel et al., 2015 
       

  • Reduces the likelihood of an operative vaginal delivery (i.e. use of forceps or a vacuum extractor)  (Hodnett & Osborn, 1989)
     

  • Increases the likelihood of a 5-minute Apgar score of more than 7 (i.e., that baby will not require medical attention to assist with their breathing or heart function) (Hodnett & Osborn, 1989)
     

Doula support furthermore:
 

  • Imbues strength and confidence (Klaus & Kennell, 1997)
     

  • Reduces anxiety and the accompanying neurotransmitters that decrease uterine contractility
     

  • Shortens labor (Sousa et al., 1980;Hodnett & Osborn, 1989; Klaus & Kennell, 1997)
    ​​

  • Stimulates oxytocin production through through close contact, touch and massage, which may be experienced in the form of mild drowsiness, euphoria, or less pain (Uvnäs Moberg, 2016)

​

Birther-Baby Bonding 

Doula-supported birthers report/evidence:
​

  • Higher regard for their babies (Klaus & Kennell, 1997)
     

  • A greater ability to care for their babies (Klaus & Kennell, 1997)
     

  • More time spent awake, stroking, smiling, and talking to their babies after delivery (Sosa et al., 1980)
     

  • Taking less time to develop a relationship with their babies (2.9 days vs 9.8 days in one study) (Wolman, 1991)

A person with medium-toned skin and long curly dark hair leans in with puckered lips toward a baby, rubbing noses with the baby as they hold hands. Both have joyous expressions on their faces.
A

The Birther's Psychological Wellbeing

Doula-supported birthers report:
 

  •  Greater self-esteem (Klaus & Kennell, 1997)
     

  • Significantly less depression (Klaus & Kennell, 1997; Steel et al., 2015; Wolman, 1991)

    •  57.5% lower odds of postpartum depression/ postpartum anxiety
      (Steel et al., 2015)
       

  • Significantly less anxiety at 24 hours after birth, and 6 weeks after birth (Wolman, 1991)

A person with medium-toned skin and short dark hair smiles with their head tossed back, holding a laughing baby
hand places itself in the outstretched palm of someone wearing a white lace dress open in front to reveal their pregnant belly.

Birther-Partner Relationship

Doula-supported birthers report:
 

  • Significantly more satisfaction with their partners (71% vs 30% at six weeks postpartum) (Wolman, 1991)

Breastfeeding/ Chestfeeding 

  • Significantly more doula-supported birthers report breastfeeding at 6 weeks postpartum (57% vs 26% in a `1991 study) (Wolman, 1991)
     

  • Doula-supported birthers report significantly less feeding problems (16% vs 63% in a 1991 study) (Wolman, 1991)

​

​

A birther with light skin and long dark hair breastfeeds a baby, who appears to be looking up peacefully into her eyes.

​

Information in the following two sections derives from a Coalition for Improving Maternal Services (CIMS) fact sheet published 2009, titled Breastfeeding Is Priceless: No Substitute For Human Milk:

​

​

How breastfeeding/chestfeeding benefits birthers

​

  • Produces higher levels of oxytocin, which stimulate uterine contractions, lowering the birther’s risk of postpartum bleeding and easing postpartum recovery
     

  • for many birthers who breastfeed/chestfeed exclusively: Delays the return of ovulation and menstruation by 20-30 weeks or more, creating a natural means of child spacing
     

  • May enhance birther-baby attachment
     

  • Lowers the birther’s risk of ovarian cancer, pre-menopausal breast cancer, heart disease, and possibly osteoporosis later in life - more so the longer breast/chestfeeding continues
     

  • Reduces the likelihood that birthers with histories of gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes later in life

A birther with light skin, long dark brown hair, wearing sunglasses and a demin jacket, sits outdoor on a folding chair in front of what may be a trailer. They hold a baby dressed in a blue onesie, and appears to be breastfeeding the baby with a smile.

​

How breastfeeding/chestfeeding benefits babies

​

  • Transfers white blood cells, which help to fight infection from viruses, bacteria and intestinal parasites
     

  • Protects babies from infant diarrhea and infectious diseases (including respiratory tract infections, ear infections, bacterial meningitis, pneumonia and urinary tract infections)
     

  • Delivers anti-inflammatory factors and lowers the incidence of bowel diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
     

  • Enhances the immune response to vaccinations against polio, diphtheria, influenza and tetanus
     

  • (Within the U.S.) Reduces infant mortality by 21% following the first month of life
     

  • Lowers the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
     

  • Decreases the risk of some types of childhood cancer, such as Hodgkins disease and leukemia
     

  • Lowers later risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005)
     

  • Protects and benefits preterm infants from gastrointestinal disease, infectious disease, and necrotizing enterocolitis
     

  • Enhances brainstem maturation, allowing premature babies to receive higher IQ scores on future testing
     

  • Reduces hospital costs and preterm infants’ lengths of hospital stay
    ​

  • Four months of exclusive breastfeeding:
     

  • Lowers the risk of Type 1 Diabetes in children with of a family history of diabetes
     

  • Lowers the incidence of asthma and eczema, especially in infants from families at high risk for allergies.

A baby with large blue eyes, wearing a green sweater, breastfeeds in the arm of a light-skinned person wearing a black sweater. The baby looks mesmerized and at peace.

 Yet what you fail to know we know, and the knowing is in us, how we have grown this way, why these years were not one of them heedless, why we are shaped the way we are, not all straight to your purpose, but to ours. And how we are each purpose, how each cell, how light and soil are in us, how we are in the soil, how we are in the air, how we are both infinitesimal and great and how we are infinitely without any purpose you can see, in the way we stand, each moment heeded in this cycle, no detail unlovely. 

​

-Susan Griffin

bottom of page