Empowering Women Through Positive Birthing Choices
Services offered by:

Amber Austin, CD
Karen Barton, CD

Doula, a greek word meaning the most important female slave or servant in an ancient household; the woman who helped the lady of the house through her childbearing. The word has come to refer to a "woman who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and after childbirth."

Benefits of Having a Doula

• 51% reduction in the cesarean rate
• 25% shorter births
• 60% reduction in epidural requests
• 71% reduction in oxytocin use
• 30% reduction in analgesia use
• 57% reduction in forceps delivery
• Fewer episiostomies
• Greater satisfaction with the birth experience

A doula understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a birthing woman. A doula seeks to empower her clients with her knowledge of the birth process, its variations and the choices to be made while respecting the integrity of the clients choices.

A doula stays by the side of the birthing woman throughout the entire birth process. She provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint and assistance to the birthing woman in getting the information she needs to make good decisions. A doula facilitates communication between the birthing woman and her partner and the clinical care providers. She offers words of encouragement, support and education to the couple before, during and after birth.

A doula believes in a woman's ability to know her body, her birth and her baby. A doula helps the birthing woman to trust her own instincts.

Why have a Doula?

A doula may be the only person at the labor besides the partner, who is there solely for the emotional well-being of the birthing woman. A doula's true agenda is to help ensure that the couples' birth plan is acknowledged and followed as much as possible. She provides and objective viewpoint, and recommends a variety of birthing coping skills and techniques; reminding couples of their options.

A doula can actually bring a couple closer by making sure the partners needs are met. Any woman or partner who feels additional support throughout the birthing process would find a doula beneficial. A woman whose partner is uninvolved in the birth of their child would have full support with a doula.

Fees - sliding income scale package includes:

• Birth Plan counseling
• Availability by phone to answer questions and go over concerns
• Early labor support
• Continuity of care during labor and delivery
• Breastfeeding and post partum support
• Fee includes Doula at your labor and delivery, 3 prenatal visits and
2 post partum visits

After the birth of my first son Elijah, I was overwhelmed by how amazing the birthing experience was. His birth left me feeling inspired, strong and renewed. Elijah was very young when I started looking for ways to help other women achieve a more fulfilling positive birth experience. Being a doula is the first step in obtaining this dream - that a woman needs support before, during and after the birth of her child. Sharing the birth of a child with a family is a blessing for me. I fell honored to be a part of this profession, and will continue to learn more techniques in order to better help my clients achieve their ideal birth.