Introduction: Today, the majority of women give birth in maternity hospitals, where constant presence and support is more of an exception than a rule. Support during labour should include emotional support, encouragement, informing, and defending the interesets of a birthing mother. Therefore Doula is an experienced person who offeres support before, during or after birth. Presence of doula is conected with lower rate of cesarian sections and premature births. Aim: The aim of this Diploma thesis is to investigate how preparation for labour affects delivery and why women decide for the presence of a doula during childbirth. Next, the aim is to reach the definition of a doula, the role of midwives and doulas, as well as to find out what women expect from doulas and whether these women are more pleased with their childbirth experience due to the presence of a doula. Method: The theoretical part of the diploma work is based on the descriptive research. Foreign literature was studied using the following browsers: PubMed, Google Scholar, Science direct, and Cochraine library database. Causal-experimental research is used for conducting the empirical part of the diploma work. Data for analysis were gathered using a survey questionnaire. Results: The most often reasons for deciding for the presence of a doula during childbirth are continous treatment before and after labour, constant presence during the labour, the wish for defending their needs, and bad childbirth experience from the past. Doula also presents the feeling of safety, trust, and emotional support. Conclusion: Midwives strive for an overall, continuous treatment of birthing mothers, but due to the overloadness of the healthcare system it is often impossible. It is imperative to be aware of the fact that emotional support during labour is just as important as professional health care. The lack of emotional support can lead to phsychological trauma, which deterioraties the quality of life of the birthing mothers and their families. This is also the reason for the need of doulas. Doulas should, on the other hand, be always aware of their authority limiations and of the level of professional knowledge they actually have. For safer and more empowering birthing experience cooperation betwen midwife and doula is necessary.
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