Marriage Moats-Doulas

Published: Sun, 11/11/12


Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage

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I had never heard the word doula before I was pregnant with my eight and ninth babies. But the childbirth class we took was taught by a doula who conveyed the importance of supporting the mother during labor and the weeks following birth. There is research to back the claim that both mothers and babies fare better under the care of a trained doula. The measurable outcomes include fewer Cesareans, shorter labors, reduced need for pain medications, higher success with breastfeeding, and diminished instances of post partum depression. The more slippery benefits entail greater self confidence, more positive feelings toward the father and lower anxiety. 
 
 
These data are so consistently convincing that the doula promises to become a standard childbirth practice.
 
The auspicious results of having a doula are not surprising. Yet they are still not the norm.
 
Mentoring young couples reaps benefits as well. In one study of 350 couples the divorce rate for those with mentor support sank to 2%. Couples overwhelmingly reported an increase in marital satisfaction, improved communication skills and greater empathy for their partner. 
 
Two people who wrote the book on mentoring are so compatible they actually have the same name... Les Parrott. They have propagated the concept to thousands of marriages.
 
John and I are launching a mentoring program in our community. In four months we have accrued fourteen mentor couples and twenty younger couples looking to be mentored. In a world where many solutions to life's problems lie across a chasm of funding, red tape, regulations and distance, this is one answer that is no farther away than the other side of a coffee table. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo by Jenny Stein
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