Can a Doula Help Reduce Interventions?The evidence, the transformation, and the quiet revolution in North East maternity care...
- Positively Pregnant
- Jul 30
- 4 min read
If you’ve been wondering whether hiring a doula is “worth it,” especially when you already have midwives, partners, and a birth plan in place - you’re not alone.
Many of the women I work with here in the North East start out curious. They’re open, aware, and self-led... but perhaps unsure what kind of difference a doula might actually make.
So let’s dive in.
Not only can a doula reduce the likelihood of medical interventions during birth - there is decades of global evidence that backs this up. And, just as importantly, North East women are discovering the difference for themselves.
Here’s what the research (and the real-life stories) reveal.
The Evidence: What Studies Say About Doulas
Continuous, one-to-one emotional and physical support during labour - from someone outside of the hospital system - has been shown to improve outcomes across the board.
The Cochrane Reviews (Hodnett et al., 2013 and Bohren et al., 2017), considered the gold standard in healthcare research, found that having a doula can lead to:
Reduced risk of Caesarean birth †
Reduced risk of instrumental birth (forceps or ventouse) †
Reduced need for painkillers or epidural during birth †
Reduced rate of induction of labour †
Shorter labours
Increased parental satisfaction with the birth experience †
Increased likelihood of initiating breastfeeding *
Increased success with breastfeeding at 6 weeks postpartum *
Lower rates of postnatal depression symptoms †
Improved equity and culturally responsive care #
These outcomes aren’t just “nice to haves.” They can change the trajectory of a family’s entire transition into parenthood.
“We felt completely supported, even when hospital policies were confusing. Jess held space for us to ask questions and make informed choices, our labour was so much more aligned because of it.”— Doula client, Newcastle, 2024
What Does a Doula Actually Do?
Think of your doula as the traditional wise woman who would have attended birth before it's medicalisation. Steady, intuitive, and focused entirely on you. Not the monitor. Not the clock. Not the policy.
I’m not there to replace your partner or your midwife. I’m there to hold space for your whole self ... to witness you as you rise, unravel, roar, surrender, and become. We weave together the mystical with the practical, creating a cocoon of safety and sovereignty around your birth.
This is what I bring as your doula:
🌿 Deep preparation that goes beyond birth education
We explore your hopes, your fears, your body, your lineage, your voice. Our sessions aren’t a box-ticking exercise - they’re a return to your own knowing. From birth physiology to system navigation, from pain relief options to inner-child healing… we go there )if you're ready).
🤍 Emotional & energetic holding & healing
This work is sacred. Whether we’re releasing trauma, clearing birth fears, or creating a space for joy and trust to return, I meet you where you are ... with compassion and care.
🔥 Fierce but gentle advocacy
I’ll help you centre your voice in the room, even when things feel big or uncertain. Whether it’s using the B.R.A.I.N. decision making tool to navigate a decision or gently asserting your right to pause - you won’t be doing it alone.
🌺 Ritual, rhythm, and nervous system care
With tools like rebozo, massage, breath work, aromatherapy, guided relaxation, biomechanics and more. I support your body to open, release and soften. You’ll learn how to work with your body, not against it.
✨ Energetic presence & intuitive space-holding
There’s a magic in simply being with. In silence. In awe. In belief. I bring that quiet grounding - knowing when to speak, when to hold back, and when to simply witness you in your full power.
💬 What North East Women Are Saying
Here in the North East, we’re not immune to rising intervention rates.
In fact, at places like NSECH (Cramlington), c-section rates are over 40%, with induction rates around 30% - not including sweeps.
Yet more and more women are stepping forward to shape a new narrative - one of informed choice, calm birth, and postnatal strength.
“I’d had two hospital births before, both full of interventions I didn’t fully understand. With Jess, my third birth was different. It was mine. I felt supported every step of the way, and I didn’t need any pain relief or intervention at all.”— Doula client, Northumberland, 2024
🔍 Wondering If It’s For You?
You might be considering a home birth, a hospital birth with as few interventions as possible, or even a birth centre experience. Wherever you plan to birth, your environment, your mindset, and your support team matter.
Hiring a doula doesn’t guarantee a specific outcome - but it does radically increase the chances that you will:
Feel informed and in control
Make decisions based on your values, not fear
Be deeply supported, even if things shift
Walk away feeling proud of what you’ve just done
🌸 Final Thoughts
Birth isn’t a medical event - it’s a rite of passage. And you don’t have to navigate it alone.
In a system that’s often rushed, risk-focused and policy-driven, a doula is your calm in the storm - protecting your space, honouring your instincts, and helping you step into your full strength.
Whether you’re 12 weeks pregnant or 38 weeks and just found your voice, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s explore what you need, and how I can walk alongside you.
Jessica Ord is an experienced birth doula and hypnobirthing expert, supporting parents across the North East. With just under a decade's experience in this work, she specialises in home birth, high risk labels and supporting sovereign, self led parents.
From wild pregnancies to water births, she specialises in supporting you to trust your instincts, birth on your terms, and feel powerful doing it.
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