As part of planning for your birth you may wish to consider whether you will need extra support people during your labour (in addition to or in place of your partner if you have one). Your decision may be influenced by your choice of caregiver(s) and where you plan to give birth.
Some birthplaces have restrictions on how many support people are allowed to be with you during labour. Make enquiries about this and perhaps seek permission from the hospital staff if you wish to bring more people than is generally allowed. Permission is also sometimes required if you wish to have your other child (ren) present at your birth. Young children also need an extra support person to support them. You can read more in
siblings at births.
There is quite a bit of research supporting the benefits for women having a close female support person during their labour. Someone to 'mother the mother' in a sense. The benefits identified include:
 |
Less need for pain relief. |
|
Less chances of requiring medical intervention. |
|
More likely to have a shorter labour and natural birth. |
|
More likely to feel positive about the labour and birth experience afterwards. |
The word used for a female support people in labour is a doula (a Greek word meaning women who serve). Your doula should be someone who can help you through your labour. Not all female friends and relatives are suited to this.
To help you make decisions about whether to have extra support people with you in labour you can read
Do I need support people in labour?
Updated November 2007
Information sources
Hodnett ED, Gates S, Hofmeyr GJ, Sakala C. Continuous support for women during childbirth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD003766. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003766.pub2.