A birth doula is a trained professional who offers continuous informational, emotional and physical support to a pregnant woman before, during and after childbirth. A birth doula (also known as a birth attendant) believes in ‘mothering the mother’ as she can devote her time fully to meet the non-medical and emotional needs of the new mother-to-be. The birth doula’s purpose is to ensure the expectant mother and her partner feel safe and confident before, during, and after birth.

Overall, women who received continuous birth support were more likely to have spontaneous vaginal births and less likely to have any pain medication, epidurals, negative feelings about childbirth, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and C-sections. In addition, their labours were shorter by about 40 minutes and their babies were less likely to have low Apgar scores at birth.