Childbirth with a Doula

This bachelor thesis deals with the issue of childbirth with a doula. The thesis describes what the profession of a doula entails and what its history is. It also describes times in which a doula can accompany a woman. The physiology of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period is also described in the thesis. One objective of the thesis has been set. The objective was to find out how women perceive the care of a doula. Two hypotheses were set in the thesis. H1: A doula is more often chosen by nulliparae rather than multiparae for a collaboration during delivery. H2: Women use the services of a doula during labour rather than during the postpartum period. The objective was achieved through quantitative investigative research in the form of an online questionnaire of my own structure. The questionnaire used for data collection contained a total of 23 questions. 20 of these were mandatory, which ensured a high level of reliability and accuracy of the data. Out of the 23 questions, 15 were multiple choice closed-ended questions, which simplified data analysis and allowed a better comparison of answers. On top of that, there were 7 semi-closed questions which provided additional answer choices and allowed respondents to express their opinions and experiences. There was also one open-ended question that allowed respondents to share their thoughts and opinions about the questionnaire topic. The questionnaire that was used for data collection was divided into three sections, each one addressing a different topic. In the first part, the respondents were asked questions regarding their identifying data such as age, education, number of births and at what time did they decide for a doula. The second part of the questionnaire was devoted to doulas. Respondents could comment there on where they had sought out a doula and whether they knew who a doula was and who she could care for. The last part of the questionnaire was then focused on the care the respondents' doulas provided and what their experience of giving birth with a doula was like. This structure of the questionnaire allowed for systematic answer processing and better comparison of results. The research results show that women have the greatest need for psychological support during delivery just as much as during pregnancy and postpartum period. They also have a need to be informed about the issue. Most women choose a doula for an overall increase in their sense of safety. It is a satisfying result that 94,9 % of women found the care of a doula met their expectations. Which is why 93,2 % of women would use the care of a doula for their next delivery and 98,3 % of women said they would recommend the care of a doula to others. Based on the results obtained, we can conclude that women are satisfied with the care of a doula. The thesis and the results obtained can be used as a basis for presenting the investigative research in seminars for midwives