The Doula Book: How a Trained Labor Companion Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth

by Marshall H. Klaus, John H. Kennell, Phyllis H. Klaus

Overview

More and more parents-to-be all over the world are choosing the comfort and reassuring support of birth with a trained labor companion called a "doula." This warm, authoritative, and irreplaceable guide completely updates the authors' earlier book, Mothering the Mother, and adds much new and important research. In addition to basic advice on finding and working with a doula, the authors show how a doula reduces the need for cesarean section, shortens the length of labor, decreases the pain medication required, and enhances bonding and breast feeding. The authors, world-renowned authorities on childbirth with combined experience of over 100 years working with laboring women, have made their book indispensable to every woman who wants the healthiest, safest, and most joyful possible birth experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738215068
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	04/03/2012
Series:	A Merloyd Lawrence Book
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	430,745
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Marshall H. Klaus, MD, internationally known neonatologist, is professor emeritus of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.

Distinguished pediatrician John H. Kennell, MD, is professor emeritus of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve Medical School.

Psychotherapist Phyllis H. Klaus, MFT, LMSW, is widely known for her practice and teaching of the psychology of pregnancy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments for Third Edition ix

Introduction to Third Edition xi

1 The Need for Support in Labor 1

2 The Special Role of the Doula 13

3 Enhancing the Birth Experience 31

4 Reducing Discomfort, Pain, and Anxiety in Childbirth 51

5 Obstetric Benefits of Doula Support 77

6 Longer-Term Benefits of Doula Support 103

7 Birth with a Doula 117

8 A Father's True Role 135

9 A Female Relative or Close Friend Trained as a Doula 153

10 Postpartum Care 167

Appendix A The Training of a Doula 191

Appendix B Relaxation, Visualization, and Self-Hypnosis Exercises for Pregnancy, Labor, Birth, and Breastfeeding 211

Appendix C Characteristics of Randomized Clinical Trials of Labor Support 227

Appendix D Resources 229

Notes 233

Index 239

About the Authors 249

Editorial Reviews

Sacramento Book Review, June 2012“Has been a mainstay for both couples considering hiring a doula and women in training to become a doula for years…This book is a great place for women to start when looking to learn more about labor companions. It is full of valuable knowledge and useful personal anecdotes that pregnant women and potential doulas alike will find beneficial. Spread the word and hire a doula!”

Portland Book Review, 9/12/12
“Clear, motivational, and inspirational.

From the Publisher