Tracker Pixel for Entry

​HOW CAN A DOULA ENHANCE YOUR BIRTH EXPERIENCE?

Wellness | March 30th, 2016

By Catherine Falconnier

A study from the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota has found a correlation between doula support and lower rates of interventions and C-sections.

What is a doula?

In a nutshell a doula is a woman who is trained in prenatal education, pain management techniques during labor, and postpartum well-being for the whole family.

“Previous studies have shown health benefits of doula support for mothers and their babies and obstetricians recommend that people who are pregnant have doula support,” said Katy Kozhimannil, Ph.D., lead author of the study and associate professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. The study also found that cesarean delivery rates were 56 percent lower among doula-supported full-term births.

High Plains Reader spoke with Karla Wiegrefe, a local birth doula, about the benefits of doula support.

HPR: Why do you feel that doula support is important?

Karla Wiegrefe: I believe that birth is more than a medical event, it is an emotional, spiritual and, physical event and having a professional present to help the family advocate for themselves is very important.

HPR: In your experience what is the most pivotal thing a doula can do?

KW: I think that there are many things that a doula can do from, physical pain managment to paying attention to the emotions in the room. To me one of the most pivotal things we can do is help the birth partner process their labor and help them walk away with a beautiful memory of their birth experience.

HPR: Who can benefit from having a doula at their birth?

KW: Anyone! We don’t just serve birth partners who want a natural birth! We serve people from all walks of life, no matter how they want to give birth. Having a doula there to laugh with you and cry with you and having that person there to find joy with you even if things aren’t perfect.

We also spoke with Rae Baker who had a doula for her son’s birth.

HPR: Would you hire a doula again?

Rae Baker: Yes,100%! I had two births without a doula and the difference between my births was amazing! I would never have another baby without one. She was such a calming presence for my husband and I.

HPR: How did your doula help you the most?

RB: She helped remind me about positioning changes and comfort measures to help me keep my labor moving.

HPR: How did your birth partner (Husband) feel about having a doula present?

RB: He was all for it. We’ve had births without one so we thought we had it down. I think he was surprised as to how much we needed her. He has said that the best thing about having her there was the reduction of the anxiety incorporated with having a baby.

If you are interested in learning more about how a doula can help you and your family during pregnancy, labor and postpartum healing, there is a Meet a Doula Event on April 9th at 5:30 at the Make Room in Fargo. There will be a doula present, as well as a massage therapist to touch on the benefits of doula support and prenatal massage.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Meet a Doula

Sat. April 9, 5:30 p.m.

Make Room Gallery 806 ½ Main Ave.






Recently in:

Press release Celebrate Dinosaur Day on Thursday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum (612 E Boulevard Ave. in Bismarck). This free, family-friendly program is open to all ages. A…

By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu The Northwest Blade, from Eureka, South Dakota, published a wonderful story in August 2020. It’s called “Granddaughter keeps Grandmother’s precious chamomile seeds,” by Cindy…

Sunday, October 19, 10 a.m.Buffalo River State Park, 565 155th St. S., Glyndon, MNHosted by the Red River Valley Chapter of Herbalists Without Borders at Buffalo River State Park for a fun fall day full of flora. (Say that three…

By John Strandjas@hpr1.com Yes, we know, everywhere you look, the world situation is mental. It’s almost inescapable just how tenuous life’s circumstances are. And how they are mostly — pretty much entirely — out of our…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWill we be banging or whimpering at the end of the American empire?T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Hollow Men” accurately portrays the end of most empires in his first lines: “We are the hollow men/…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com The multiple meanings of the title location in Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s “Bone Lake” cover the sex and death spectrum that will flummox Diego (Marco Pigossi) and Sage (Maddie Hasson) as…

By HPR staffsubmit@hpr1.com Mark the first weekend of October on your calendar. It’s the weekend of the Studio Crawl, which takes us all on a wonderful, metro-wide tour of our talented (and often wacky) arts community. On October…

Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

Press Release As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, Essentia Health is highlighting an innovative — and recently expanded — program that brings early breast cancer detection services to rural communities. Essentia’s mobile…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.comMoral accountability and the crisis of leadership  As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in…