I above all wish you blessings on your pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. It is an honor to be considered as your doula and I hope your birth is surrounded by supportive, encouraging people so that you end up with the healthy baby and birth that you want to have.

Birth doulas, trained and experienced in childbirth, provide physical and emotional support and assistance in gathering information for women and their partners during labor and birth.

A doula supporting a laboring woman and her partner

Women cared for during labor by a birth doula, compared to those receiving "usual care" were:

• 26% less likely to give birth by cesarean section
• 41% less likely to give birth with a vacumm or forceps
• 28% less likely to use any analgesia or anesthesia
• 33% less likely to be dissatisfied or to negatively rate their birth experience

Hodnet E, Gates S, Hofmeyr G, Sakala C. Continuous support for women during childbirth. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003.