Statistics demonstrating the effectiveness of having a doula 

• 36% reduction in use of pain medications
• 51% reduction in Cesarean births
• 71% reduction in use of oxytocin
• 57% reduction in forceps and vacuum deliveries
• an average of 1 hour and 38 minutes shorter labor

(Scott, Berkowitz, & Klaus, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 180. no.5, 1999)

There are many statistics that show the positive results of having a doula throughout the birth. If a woman is helped by a doula through her labor, she has more support, strength, and understanding to either delay having an epidural, or not request one at all. One study shows that delaying an epidural, so that the medication exposure was less than one hour, was beneficial in that newborns were more successful with breastfeeding (Crowell, Hill, Humenick, Journal of Nurse Midwifery,39, no. 3, 1994). Another study showed that women were less likely to request an epidural if they had continuous emotional and physical support to handle the pain. (Kenell, Klaus, McGrath, Robertson, & Hinkley, Journal of the American Medical association, 265, 1991)