for health care professionals

Why Choose A Doula?

The word “doula” comes from ancient Greek and is now used to refer to someone experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the birthing family before, during and just after childbirth.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend births, labors are shorter with few complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily, and parents have a more enjoyable birth experience.

A Birth Doula -

  • Recognizes childbirth as a key experience the parents will remember all their lives.
  • Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman and her partner during birth.
  • Assists the parents in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth
  • Stays with the birthing mother throughout the birth process
  • Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping parents get the information they need to make informed decisions
  • Facilitates communication between the birthing woman, her partner, and clinical care providers
  • Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the parent’s memory of the birth experience

    • A Professional Hypno-Doula?

    It is *wonderful* to have a doula as an advocate for you (especially if you’re having a hospital birth,) to make sure your Birth Preferences are honored, and to be a nurturing presence; one that knows so many ways to help your Birthing Time progress and be more comfortable if needed, etc. You need to know that the doula you choose can help you best by becoming completely familiar with the philosophy, techniques, cue words, etc of your Hypnobabies program.

    Traditional doula training provides the birthing woman with much more physical activity to stay comfortable, while using hypnosis entails much more "going inside" and specific cues that have been programmed subconsciously. Hypnobabies moms can indeed use upright positions, birth balls and walk if they want to, but this will be for progress if needed or descent and positioning of your baby, and not to maintain comfort. Unless a doula is familiar with all of this, she may not help the woman in the ways she truly needs to give birth using hypnosis.

    Certainly a doula that hasn’t previously been trained in Hypnobabies can be effective, they just need to be educated about hypnosis for birth and be willing to birth-assist a different way. Since all birthing women have different needs, flexibility is the mark of a good doula anyway!

    One of the best ways to make sure your doula becomes familiar with and trained in Hypnobabies is to:

  • Encourage her to take a Hypnobabies Hypno-Doula Training Workshop from a Certified Hypnobabies Childbirth Instructor
  • Encourage her to order our Hypno-Doula Workbook that trains doulas and midwives to labor-assist a Hypnobabies Mom. Your doula can find out more by clicking here.
  • Bring your doula to your Hypnobabies Class! Doulas are always welcome and certainly learn a great deal from being there with you in class.

    • To locate a Hypno-Doula in your area, contact your Local Instructor.