Welcome to Birth Tools!
Stacy Gould provides Doula services and Childbirth Education for families in the Folsom, Sacramento and Foothill Areas.
Why You Should Choose Out of Hospital Birth Education
I strongly believe that the education that I received during my pregnancies not only prepared me for labor, but empowered me to be the parent that I am today. Here are just a few fabulous reasons to choose independent birth education.
What is a Doula?
A Doula is a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother before, during, and after childbirth.
Doulas attend births in hospitals, birth centers, and homes. No matter what the setting is, studies have shown that births with a doula in attendance are shorter, less likely to use pain medications and other medical interventions, and less likely to result in a cesarean section.
Doulas are for everyone! Doulas provide support to the mother AND her chosen birth partners by providing continuous calm, objective, and informative support.
A Doula
- Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember forever.
- Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor.
- Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth.
- Stays with the woman throughout all stages of the labor and delivery.
- Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, and an objective viewpoint while helping her to get the information she needs to make informed decisions about her care.
- Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her care providers.
- Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience.
- Helps the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level.
Doula Statistics
Studies have shown that women who use birth doulas are more satisfied with their birth experience, require fewer interventions during labor and delivery, and have higher rates of breastfeeding than women without doula support.
Gathering and analyzing the results of 15 studies, a team of researchers found that, compared to women laboring without a doula, women who labored with a doula were:
- 26% less likely to have a cesarean section
- 41% less likely to have a vacuum extractor or forceps delivery
- 28% less likely to use pain medication or epidurals
- 33% less likely to rate their birth experience negatively
Another study showed that women who were supported by doulas were more likely to have success with breastfeeding as reported in a questionanaire at six weeks postpartum exclusively breastfeeding on a flexible schedule with few problems (see Hofmeyr, Nikodem, Wolman, Chalmers, and Kramer; 1991, South Africa. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 98 (1991):756-764).
Every Mother Deserves a Doula!
"Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers - strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength." ~Barbara Katz-Rothman