Established in 2004, Seacoast Doula Group represents two independent, solo practice doulas who live in southern Maine and work in the seacoast areas of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.   Susan Remillard is a postpartum doula and Liz Gaudette is a birth doula.  Both are certified through DONA International, the oldest professional organization of birth and postpartum doulas.  As separate business entities, they support and complement each other, providing new mothers and their families a broader set of services.  “Doula” is a Greek word which has evolved over time to mean “woman caregiver”.  Doulas are trained and skilled in promoting normal birth and postpartum adjustments. 

 Birth doulas   accompany women and their partners in labor, providing emotional support and non-medical physical comfort. They facilitate communication with caregivers, provide reassurance, and assist with effective labor support techniques.

Postpartum doulas   help new mothers and their families in the early weeks after giving birth.  Parents find the additional education and assistance with feeding, newborn care, sibling support, errands, and light household organization invaluable.

Research in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s found that women who used doulas had shorter labors and fewer Cesarean births.  More recent studies revealed that women having birth doula support experience increased rates of breastfeeding, more positive mother-infant relationships and greater satisfaction with their births.  Postpartum doula support eases the transition from birthplace to home, increases breastfeeding success, and helps to decrease postpartum depression.  See www.dona.org and www.childbirthconnection.org for more research information.

Please feel free to browse our website and learn more about doulas and how they can help you and your family smooth the transition of bringing a new life into your world. 

Interviews are always free!

The Seacoast Doula Group

Labor doulas are trained and experienced labor support persons who attend to the emotional and physical comfort needs of laboring women to smooth the labor process. They do not do clinical tasks such as heart rate checks, or vaginal exams but rather use massage, aromatherapy, positioning suggestions, etc., to help labor progress as well as possible. A labor support doula joins a laboring woman either at her home or in hospital or birth center and remains with her until a few hours after the birth. In addition to emotional support, doulas work as advocates of their client’s wishes and may assist in communicating with medical staff to obtain information for the client to make informed decisions regarding medical procedures.

Postpartum doulas are trained to offer families evidence-based information and support on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from childbirth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents. They may also help with light housework, fix a meal and help incorporate the older child into this new experience."

Source:  Wikipedia contributors (2006). Doula. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:30, April 18, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Doula&oldid=48417033.