What is a doula, and what are the different types of doulas? How many people use doulas during childbirth, and what does a doula actually do? Are there any randomized, controlled trials on doula support? What are the benefits and risks of having a doula, if any? And if the evidence shows that doulas improve health outcomes… then why are some hospitals around the world unsupportive of labor companions? And how can you find a doula if you’re interested in having one at your birth?   

Today’s podcast episode with Dr. Dekker and Sara Ailshire, MA, is chock full of research from our peer-reviewed Evidence Based Birth® Signature Article: The Evidence on Doulas.  

To learn more, download a free one-page handout, and view all the research references, go to ebbirth.com/doulas.   

EBB Resources:  

• Access all the scientific references and a free 1-page handout at the EBB Signature Article: Evidence on Doulas here.     

• If you’re a visual learner, watch a video about the Evidence on Doulas on the EBB YouTube channel here!  

• Join the EBB Pro Membership and get access to contact hours, a doula mentorship program, live trainings, and a PDF Library with exclusive handouts (including a full-length printable PDF on "Evidence on: Doulas") by joining here. 

• Learn comfort measures and advocacy techniques through the EBB Childbirth Class.  

EBB Podcasts: 

• EBB 195 – Grief & Healing through Pregnancy and Infant Loss with Full Spectrum Doula, Rose Rankin 

• EBB 207 – Gender Affirming Birth Work and Education with Full-Spectrum Doula and Childbirth Educator, Moss Froom 

• EBB 211 – Supporting Expectant Families through Birth and Lactation with Birth Doula and EBB Instructor Coordinator, Rikki Jenkins 

• EBB 229 – Evidence on Doulas with Community-Based Models and Reimbursement 

• EBB 252 – A Candid Conversation about Doula Advocacy with Doula and EBB Instructor Leslie Greene 

• EBB 285 – Creating a Sustainable Career in Birth Work with Jessica Diggs, Doula Mentor and Co-Founder of Centered.