Research shows women who receive support from a Doula… 

• feel more secure and cared for 
• have greater self-confidence 
• have less need for induction, forceps or vacuum extraction, and cesareans
• have less need for pain medication and/or epidurals 
• have shorter labors with fewer complications
• have less negative feelings about their birth experience
• have greater success with breastfeeding 
• are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics 
• have less postpartum depression 
• have lower incidence of child abuse 

The question really is who wouldn't need a doula? If you are a very experienced 'birther' and have abundant support from loved ones who are also experienced and confident in childbirth, I'd say you'll be alright on your own.

For a more comprehensive list of research regarding doula care see Doula Studies. While hiring a doula doesn’t guarantee a perfect birth, the benefits are clear.

Does a doula take the place of my partner? 
No! Many partners, especially those experiencing parenthood for the first time, often feel reassured and comforted by the presence of an educated supporter. Doulas enhance the birth experience for everyone involved, partners included!

Won't my midwife or nurse do the same things as a doula? 
Midwives and L&D nurses and are a wonderful resource, however they have many clinical duties they must attend to. All of these can limit the amount of time they have to spend taking care of your physical and emotional needs. A doula's primary focus is on the birthing woman. A doula provides continuous care and her constant support allows her to respond immediately to help the mother.

Do doulas only attend homebirths or drug-free births? 
No. Doulas are trained to support women and their partners through a variety of birthing situations and outcomes. Whether you birth at home, in a hospital, or a birthing center - with or without drugs - doulas are there to support you no matter what your decision. Even women planning on birthing by means of a c-section can benefit from the services of a doula.

What training have you had?
I've completed training with Child Birth International as a Birth Doula.

What is your fee, what does it include and what are your refund policies? 
My current fee is $400. The service includes 2 prenatal hour long appointments, unlimited phone/email conversations, access to book lending library, birth support from onset of labor until 1 hour afterward, and 1 postnatal hour long appointment. The client can receive a refund at any time, paying only for the services they have already received. The service I provide is entirely dependent on the clients needs, which naturally change throughout the process of birth. In a nutshell, I provide informational, physical, and emotional support during late pregnancy, throughout the entirety of birth, and shortly after.

May we meet to discuss our birth plans and the role you will play in supporting me through birth?
I meet with potential clients for a free half hour meeting where we get to know each other before any decisions about hiring are made. 

May we call you with questions or concerns before and after the birth? 
Clients can engage in unlimited phone/skype/email conversations with me before the birth and for 4 weeks after the birth.

When do you try to join women in labor? 
Clients can call me as soon as labor begins and I will meet them at home to begin supportive care. We will then go to the chosen place to give birth when active labor has begun, where I will stay with the client providing continual care until 1 hour after the birth. 

Do you meet with us after the birth to review the birth and answer questions? 
I meet with clients 1 week after the birth to discuss the birth and provide any support needed.

This is a comprehensive 18 page downloadable PDF booklet providing excellent information for women regarding birth. It is produced by InJoy Birth & Parenting Education and Lamaze International. The information includes...

Introduction: Birth—As Safe and Healthy As It Can Be
Healthy Birth Practice 1: Let Labor Begin On Its Own
Healthy Birth Practice 2: Walk, Move Around, and Change Positions Throughout Labor
Healthy Birth Practice 3: Bring a Loved One, Friend, or Doula for Continuous Support 
Healthy Birth Practice 4: Avoid Interventions That Are Not Medically Necessary 
Healthy Birth Practice 5: Avoid Giving Birth on Your Back, and Follow Your Body’s Urges to Push 
Healthy Birth Practice 6: Keep Your Baby With You - It’s Best for You, Your Baby, and Breastfeeding 
Conclusion: Preparing for a Healthy Birth Your Way 
Birth Planning Worksheet

View & Download

NZ websites

NZ College of Midwives
The Official site of the New Zealand College of Midwives, the professional organisation and recognised ‘voice’ for midwives and student midwives in New Zealand.

MAMA (Mothers and Midwives)
MAMA aims to give parents-to-be information that will support you to combine instinct and information and make informed choices when planning a healthy and happy pregnancy, labour and birth and early parenting experience.

Parents Centres NZ
Parents Centre share a mission to bring about a society in which parents are highly valued in their role in the community through positive birth experience and informed parenting and advocacy. The Parents Centre website provides articles, resources, and information about available birth and parenting classes for NZ parents.

The Home Birth Association
Home Birth Aotearoa is the national organisation representing the many local associations throughout Aotearoa / New Zealand. Home Birth Aotearoa supports and celebrates home birth and provides birthing women and whanau with information about the home birth option.

Inflatable labour & birthing pools
H2Oh provides consumers and professionals with a safe, simple, affordable and acceptable option to use water when labouring.

Trauma and Birth Stress - PTSD after Child Birth
Originating in NZ, TABS is Trauma And Birth Stress, a Charitable Trust that serves as a support group of mothers. We have in common stressful and traumatic pregnancies or births that affected our lives negatively for months or years afterwards. We formed TABS because of the need to make PTSD known as a form of mental illness that can happen following childbirth, but quite distinct from the Baby Blues, Post Natal Depression (Post Partum Depression) and Post Natal Psychosis.

International websites

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn
Based upon upon the best selling book of the same name, this website provides a range free informational PDF's and worksheets covering pregnancy, birth and newborn care. The content is precise, up to date, and immensely useful.

Lamaze International
Lamaze is a nonprofit organization that promotes a natural, healthy and safe approach to pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting. Knowing that pregnancy and childbirth can be demanding on a woman’s body and mind, Lamaze serves as a resource for information about what to expect and what choices are available during the childbearing years.

Giving Birth With Confidence
Giving Birth with Confidence is an online community, created by Lamaze International, written for and by real women (and men) with a variety of trustworthy, timely and appealing stories, articles and tips related to pregnancy, birth and parenting. Our goal is to help women achieve healthy pregnancies and safe, satisfying births by offering a meeting ground to obtain information and support.

Henci Goer
Henci Goer, award-winning medical writer and internationally known speaker, is an acknowledged expert on evidence-based maternity care.

Science and Sensibility
A Research Blog About Healthy Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond from Lamaze International. 

Childbirth Connection
ChildbirthConnection is your source for trustworthy up-to-date evidence-based information and resources on planning for pregnancy, labor and birth, and the postpartum period. 

Mothers Advocate
Mother's Advocate is dedicated to helping you have the healthiest, safest, most satisfying birth possible. This website offers free video clips and print materials that will educate and inform you on how to have the birth you want for you and your baby.

Birthing Naturally
Birthing Naturally exists to be a free source of information about pregnancy and birth. We strive to maintain a helpful and encouraging environment where families can explore their options, test their new skills, find support and prepare for the upcoming changes of a new baby.

Water Birth International
Waterbirth International's mission is to insure that waterbirth becomes an available option for all women. They have been working non-stop for almost two decades providing education, training, programs, consultations and referrals for parents and practitioners alike.

International Cesarean Awareness Network
ICANs mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).

Childbirth Solutions
This free site gives you detailed information about every step including preconception, pregnancy, birth, and post partum. You can read about other women’s birth stories. You will learn about the difference between the Medical Model of Care and the Midwives Model of Care. You can comment on articles and ask questions about what you don’t understand.  

Spinning Babies
Spinning Babies offers basic information to help you understand how changes in maternal position can help improve fetal position.

NZ Parenting Websites

The Immunisation Awareness Society  
The Immunisation Awareness Society Inc. is a voluntary and charitable organisation founded in 1988 by Hilary Butler. Its members include an increasing number of parents, caregivers, health professionals and other adults who have concerns about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, wish to make an informed decision about whether or not to vaccinate themselves or their children; and wish to maintain their right to choose to vaccinate or not.

Parents Center NZ
Parents Centre share a mission to bring about a society in which parents are highly valued in their role in the community through positive birth experience and informed parenting and advocacy. The Parents Centre website provides articles, resources, and information about available birth and parenting classes for NZ parents.

Centre for Attachment
The Centre for Attachment (CFA) is a New Zealand-based agency dedicated to providing support, education and training for families, organisations and communities on optimal child development and attachment.

The Brainwave Trust
We are a national organisation set up as a charitable trust. Our aim is to raise public awareness about the amazing new findings in brain research, which emphasise the importance of early experiences on infant brain development; and to educate about the important implications of this knowledge.

Kiwi Families
Provides information on all aspects of family life, from pregnancy through to the teen years.

Women's Health Action Trust
Women's Health Action is a charitable trust which aims to provide women with high quality information and education services to enable them to maintain their health and make informed choices about their health care. 

Healthpoint Limited
Find up-to-date information about providers, referral expectations, services offered and common treatments.

International Parenting Websites

Ask Dr Sears
Comprehensive information on Pregnancy & Childbirth, Breastfeeding, Parenting, Attachment Parenting, Family Nutrition, Vaccines, Discipline & Behavior, Child Rearing and Development, Feeding Infants & Toddlers, Skin Care, Fussy Baby, Sleep Problems, and and Childhood Illnesses

API International
Through education, support, advocacy and research, our principal goal is to heighten global awareness of the profound significance of secure attachment - not only to invest in our children's bright futures, but to reduce and ultimately prevent emotional and physical mistreatment of children, addiction, crime, behavioral disorders, mental illness, and other outcomes of early unhealthy attachment.

API Speaks
API Speaks is the blog version of API International. All contributors to API Speaks, as with so many of API’s staff, are volunteers who donate their time and energy to promote Attachment Parenting world wide.

Baby Reference
What you Feed your Baby Matters. How you Treat your Baby Matters. Parents have the Power to Create and Enjoy Healthier, Happier Children with Brighter Futures.

The Fussy Baby Site
The Fussy Baby Site caters specifically to parents of high needs babies. Many of the articles on the site are contributed by experts in the field. The blog posts are written from a more personal perspective, either by the author of the website or other parents.

Dr Momma
Presents materials that foster a world of peaceful parenting, gentle birthing, and happy, healthy, securely attached little ones, growing up to make positive changes in the world around them. The website has many informative articles, a great library, and many links and resources for further reading.

Natural Parenting
The Natural Parenting website has a large selection of articles and products, and a lively online community for the naturally oriented parent.

The Natural Child Project
The Natural Child Project's vision is a world in which all children are treated with dignity, respect, understanding, and compassion. In such a world, every child can grow into adulthood with a generous capacity for love and trust. The website provides an abundance of articles, products, research, and resources for the parent wishing take a more natural approach to parenting.

Post Partum International
Postpartum Support International is dedicated to helping women suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including postpartum depression, the most common complication of childbirth.

Postpartum Progress
Postpartum Progress offers the latest research and an unflinching look at what it is truly like to experience postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD, postpartum psychosis, and antenatal depression & anxiety. It features daily news and stigma-busting commentary, as well as a continuously-updated list of support groups around the country, personal stories from moms, photos of survivors, and links to major support organizations and top treatment programs.
Parenting Online Communities

Mothering
The Natural Parent
Oh Baby
Huggies
Treasures
The Nappy Network

Publications

Tummy Talk
Tummy Talk is a magazine for pregnant women and those around them, produced by Active Birth Taranaki Inc. It outlines some of the choices women can make about birth, and includes a range of tips and birth stories from NZ women and articles from respected professionals. Tummy Talk is a celebration of pregnancy, labour and the birth of a new life.

The Natural Parent Magazine
The Natural Parent (TNP)provides support and advice for parents and carers who wish to follow a respectful and non-violent way of parenting. Topics cover attachment parenting, connection parenting, BLW, breastfeeding, homeschooling, co-sleeping, and babywearing.