CNN - Doulas help women cope with newborns

Doulas help women cope with newborns

March 11, 1996
Web posted at: 3:30 p.m. EST

From Correspondent Janine Sharell

PATTERSON, New Jersey (CNN) -- When Maureen McClave arrived home from the hospital with her new baby, she was overwhelmed.

"I just sat on this couch and cried," she said.

In need of a helping hand, McClave and her husband hired Christine Kealy, a professional postpartum doula. Doulas provide emotional support to women throughout pregnancy, during birth and in the postpartum period. They are not medical professionals and they differ from child nurses in that they focus their attention on the mother's needs.

The word doula stems from an ancient Greek word meaning handmaiden. Modern doulas, however, are much more than that, teaching women how to handle their newborns and providing the mothers with moral support.

"We're saying, 'I know how elated you feel. I know how pressured you feel. I know how inadequate you feel,'" said McClave's doula, Kealy.

While the concept of doulas is relatively new in America, it is gaining popularity across the country. It's estimated that more than 1,200 doulas work in the United States, and business is booming. For instance, five years ago Kealy's business had eight clients. This year, it has 150.

The increase, according to doulas, has been fueled by shorter hospital stays, increasing distances between family members and a resurgence in breast-feeding, something that many women need help with.

"Thirty years ago, women didn't breast feed. Whereas today, that's a real important focus for most of the moms we work with," Kealy explained.

Doula care costs from $15 to $25 per hour and typically is not covered by insurance. That's something researchers in Patterson, New Jersey, are trying to change.

The Neighborhood Doula Project provides free doula services for women in drug recovery programs.

"It makes a whole lot of difference," said Lasonia Newberry. "She was there to support me when I had my baby. I'm glad she was there because if she wasn't nobody would have been there."

The project is collecting data on how the doulas help women, hoping the research will sway insurers.

"Many HMOs are looking into this right now on a cost-savings basis," said Deborah Pascali of the Neighborhood Doula Project. "As we get more data on our programs and other research ... you're going to see HMOs covering this."

Kealy agrees, saying a doula is far cheaper than a hospital stay. (83K AIFF sound or 83K WAV sound)

And for many women like McClave, the support is priceless.

Related Site:

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Doulas help women cope with newborns

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