What is a doula? What does human development research say about the use of support during labor?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: Social support is important to the success of natural childbirth. A doula is a trained lay attendant who is assigned to stay with a mother throughout labor and delivery, talking to them, holding their hands, and rubbing their backs to promote relaxation. In Guatemalan and American hospitals that routinely isolated patients during childbirth, some mothers were randomly assigned a doula. These mothers had shorter labors and fewer birth complications than women not given supportive companionship. Guatemalan mothers who received doula support also interacted more positively with their newborns, talking, smiling, and gently stroking. Other studies indicate that mothers who are supported during labor and delivery—either by a lay birth attendant or by a relative or friend with doula training—less often have instrument-assisted or cesarean (surgical) deliveries or need medication to control pain. Also, their babies’ Apgar scores are higher, and they are more likely to be breastfeeding at a two-month follow-up. Social support also makes Western hospital-birth customs more acceptable to women from parts of the world where assistance from family and community members is the norm.