Considerations for Appointing a Doula
Research shows that doula support results in:
Shorter labours with fewer complications.
Reduced requests for pain medication including epidural.
Reduced likelihood of a caesarean birth or an assisted delivery.
Higher likelihood of establishing and continuing breastfeeding.
More positive feelings about a birth and postnatal experience.
Reduced rate of induction of labour.
Improvement of equity and culturally responsive care.
Further Considerations
Birth Trauma Enquiry 2024 “30,000 women annually experience traumatic births, with 1 in 25 developing PTSD”
The cost of perinatal mental health problems Affecting 1 in 5 women, the UK cost is £8.1 billion per year
Black mother face higher risks Systemic racism, bias in care, and higher rates of pre-eclampsia
The Bill of Health A tool that calculates how much birth costs the NHS data based on 2020/21.
