Doulas support clients making healthcare decisions

The following story was submitted during our Cochrane Impact Story competition in 2014.

Not long ago, I was pregnant with my first child. I attended a prenatal class, and the instructor suggested we should hire a doula to attend the birth (this was the first time I'd ever heard the word!). The instructor gave us the title of a research article, "Continuous support for women during childbirth," and noted the conclusions stated "all women should have continuous support during labour." I'd never heard of Cochrane before, but I went and read the full article. Then I decided to hire a doula - best decision I ever made! The support I received during the long labour with my first child was incredible, and it inspired my own journey to becoming a doula. I now support expectant couples, and one of the first resources I provide is a link to the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Review Group's web page. I know they'll find accurate (non-biased) information there, in an easy-to-read format. 

I would definitely recommend using Cochrane resources to anyone, and I do! It's one of the first resources I recommend to my doula clients. The summaries are easy to read for people who have no research experience. Keep up the great work at Cochrane, I hope to someday become an author myself!