Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May 24;15(5):e39451.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.39451. eCollection 2023 May.

The Effect of Doulas on Maternal and Birth Outcomes: A Scoping Review

Alexandria Sobczak  1 , Lauren Taylor  1 , Sydney Solomon  1 , Jodi Ho  1 , Scotland Kemper  1 , Brandon Phillips  1 , Kailey Jacobson  1 , Courteney Castellano  1 , Ashley Ring  1 , Brianna Castellano  1 , Robin J Jacobs  1
Affiliations

The Effect of Doulas on Maternal and Birth Outcomes: A Scoping Review

Alexandria Sobczak et al. Cureus. .

Erratum in

Abstract

A source of support during birth could be the solution to negative outcomes for the mother and her baby. To improve the birthing experience and increase positive birthing outcomes, sources of support during pregnancy should be evaluated and understood. The goal of this review was to synthesize the existing literature on how doulas might improve birth outcomes. This scoping review also aimed to shed light on the positive impact emotional support during childbirth can have on the health and well-being of mother and child. PubMed and EBSCOhost were used to identify articles using the search words with Boolean operators "doulas" AND "labor support" AND "birth outcomes" AND "pregnancy" AND "effects during labor." The eligibility criteria for article selection included primary studies investigating how doulas contributed to birth outcomes. The studies in this review indicated that doula guidance in perinatal care was associated with positive delivery outcomes including reduced cesarean sections, premature deliveries, and length of labor. Moreover, the emotional support provided by doulas was seen to reduce anxiety and stress. Doula support, specifically in low-income women, was shown to improve breastfeeding success, with quicker lactogenesis and continued breastfeeding weeks after childbirth. Doulas can be a great resource for birthing mothers, and consideration should be given to using them more, as they may have a positive impact on the well-being of the mother and child. This study raised questions about the accessibility of doulas and how they may help mitigate health disparities among women from different socioeconomic levels.

Keywords: childbirth satisfaction; delivery and labor; doula; health disparity; labor and birth; treatment disparity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA flow diagram
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Socioeconomic status and adverse birth outcomes: a population-based Canadian sample. Campbell EE, Gilliland J, Dworatzek PD, De Vrijer B, Penava D, Seabrook JA. J Biosoc Sci. 2018;50:102–113. - PubMed
    1. Small for gestational age-cognitive performance from infancy to adulthood: an observational study. Eves R, Mendonça M, Bartmann P, Wolke D. BJOG. 2020;127:1598–1606. - PubMed
    1. Hoyert DL, National Center for Health Statistics. [ Aug; 2022 ]. 2022. Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2020.
    1. Depressive symptoms in the late postpartum among low socioeconomic status women. Séguin L, Potvin L, St-Denis M, Loiselle J. Birth. 1999;26:157–163. - PubMed
    1. Prevalence and predictors of women's experience of psychological trauma during childbirth. Soet JE, Brack GA, DiIorio C. Birth. 2003;30:36–46. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources