Doulas and obstetricians clash in delivery suites

Doulas and obstetricians sometimes clash in delivery suites, putting moms and new borns in at risk.

 

Doulas and obstetricians sometimes clash in delivery suites, putting moms and new borns in at risk.

Older moms with more disposable income pay doulas up to $1,000 to sit at their sides during delivery, and both the moms who hire doulas and the doulas themselves, are more likely to favor natural births and oppose interventions proposed by OBs. Some hospitals ban doulas, others have rules and guidelines for them and a few have their own doulas who provide the service for only $100, according to a page one story in The Wall Street Journal.

 

Suein Hwang’s impact graphs:

 

“Birth doulas” sit by the mother’s side through the delivery, rubbing her back, suggesting alternate positions, listening to her fears and doing anything else that might help her through labor.

Many birth doulas advocate natural-birth methods that spurn common medical procedures, and from their post at the mother’s bedside they are in a strong position to enforce that philosophy. Doctors complain that birth doulas sometimes persuade laboring mothers to reject Caesarean sections, medication and other treatments deemed medically necessary.

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