Doula UK welcomes the Royal College of Midwives’ State of Maternity Services Report due for launch tomorrow (Tuesday 22nd January 2013) and supports the call for more midwives in the UK.
Commenting on the report Doula UK Chair Nicola Wilson said, “our members and the women they support frequently report the difficulties caused by a rising birth rate and a shortage of midwives. Currently some new families are reaching out to doulas because of a lack of continuity of care within the maternity services and a fear that they will not have one-to-one care during their labours. It is clear that women need more support during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. Doulas are a vital part of that support network for many families but should not be replacing sufficient midwife provision.”
“Doulas offer women the kind of unconditional and continuous support that we previously had access to through our close-knit communities. This support, so often completely absent for modern women, is shown to dramatically improve birth and postnatal outcomes. But while we welcome the increased demand for doulas, and the growing number of schemes that seek to offer women this kind of support, we strongly believe it should be in addition to one-to-one care from a named midwife.