The mounting evidence is clear: having a doula can help decrease the risk of having a cesarean birth and significantly improve birth experiences. In fact, doulas have even been called a form of pain relief themselves, as people tend to want fewer pain medications and epidurals when supported by a doula. But what makes what doulas do so special and different from the care you receive from your other care providers? Sabia Wade talks to Adriana about what a doula is, how to find one that will be a good fit for you, the difficulties in accessing a doula (and how that’s evolving), and why a doula’s uniquely non-clinical care can be so complementary to that of the rest of your team, no matter the type of birth you have. If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on How Do You Know If Your Care Provider Is Treating You Fairly? and our episode on All About Postpartum Doulas. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on this episode’s show notes page at Birthful.com. While you’re there, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com. Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birthful/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands