The authors investigated the effects of having a supportive companion present during labor. They wanted to compare two groups of mothers with uncomplicated births, with 20 mothers in each group. In the group that had a companion assigned to each mother, they had to follow the labors of 32 mothers to identify 20 mothers with uncomplicated births for their study group. Additional research over the years has confirmed that supportive labor companions make a difference in the course and outcome of labor. Research also shows significant long-term benefits of improved breastfeeding, decreased postpartum depression, and more positive maternal assessments of baby's personality, competence, and health.
Doulas appear to be most effective in the following interactions.
A lively and intricate exchange of messages passes between the mother and the baby who are together at this time. Biorhymicity refers to the synchronization of the baby's actions and rhythms to those of the mother. Labor and birth disrupt those rhythms. When the baby is cared for from birth by his mother, these rhythms are more easily and quickly reestablished. The first two nights his mother heard the nurses calling his name continuously.