Have you ladies see this study?Quite Interesting!

[peacefulbabydoula]

A randomized control trial of continuous support in labor by a lay doula.

Campbell DA, Lake MF, Falk M, Backstrand JR.
Study on Sleep & Functional Performance in Heart Failure at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Nursing, Newark 07101-1709, and Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To compare labor outcomes in women accompanied by an additional support person (doula group) with outcomes in women who did not have this additional support person (control group). DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: A women's ambulatory care center at a tertiary perinatal care hospital in New Jersey. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred nulliparous women carrying a singleton pregnancy who had a low-risk pregnancy at the time of enrollment and were able to identify a female friend or family member willing to act as their lay doula. INTERVENTIONS: The doula group was taught traditional doula supportive techniques in two 2-hour sessions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Length of labor, type of delivery, type and timing of analgesia/anesthesia, and Apgar scores. RESULTS: Significantly shorter length of labor in the doula group, greater cervical dilation at the time of epidural anesthesia, and higher Apgar scores at both 1 and 5 minutes. Differences did not reach statistical significance in type of analgesia/anesthesia or cesarean delivery despite a trend toward lower cesarean delivery rates in the doula group. CONCLUSION: Providing low-income pregnant women with the option to choose a female friend who has received lay doula training and will act as doula during labor, along with other family members, shortens the labor process.

[sunshine]

i'd love a study that was more applicable to the kind of women i serve. how about a study of slightly older, white, middle-income, well-educated women w/ supportive partners who've taken birth education and have an experienced doula? ha!

anyway, this is an interesting study and confirms pretty well what other studies have shown, but maybe adds that only minimal training is necessary to have a "doula" effect, perhaps leading to the conclusion that more extensive training and experience could bring a greater effect.

thanks for posting!

[dorothyh]

Wow - that's a hospital that I go to!

It's a very interventive hospital that sees very few unmedicated births; I'm quite surprised that the study took place there.

[novadoula]

That is very interesting. Thanks for sharing this is just what I need to help get me started.

I have been having conversations with a local midwifery group about how to start a program like that to low income women in my community. I was wanting to train someone of their choice to help them while in labor. My thought was that I can only volunteer so much and sadly the clinic is having a hard time finding volunteer doulas. If it worked, more women would have the benefit of trained labor support, even if it was just the very basics. Also some of the women who are trained would hopefully go on and become doulas in their community.

sorry for hi-jacking the thread

[pambell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bellabirthing i'd love a study that was more applicable to the kind of women i serve. how about a study of slightly older, white, middle-income, well-educated women w/ supportive partners who've taken birth education and have an experienced doula? ha!

There was a study very much like this done recently that showed a significant reduction in cesareans with the doula-supported group. I'll see if I can find it later.