Research continues to show how effective doula support is for laboring women. Doulas have found to be more effective than family, friends or hospital staff.
While using a doula during birth may seem like a new trend, the original research by Klaus and Kennell on doulas is now over 30 years old. Yet more information is coming out all the time about how doula support is uniquely different from other types of support. Doulas may be more effective than family, friends or members of the hospital staff who provide support to the mother during labor.
Review of Existing Doula Research
Research lead by Ellen Hodnett, from the University of Toronto, Bloomberg Faculty School of Nursing involved reviewing a number of studies that examined the effect of one-to-one support from a doula versus standard care in the hospital.
The research team also wanted to discover if the effects of support were affected by routine practices of the facility, the supportive person's relationship to the hospital and the mother and the timing of the support given to the mother.
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