“Overall, birthing people who received continuous support were more likely to have spontaneous vaginal births and less likely to have any pain medication, epidurals, negative feelings about childbirth, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and Cesareans. In addition, their labors were shorter by about 40 minutes on average, and their babies were less likely to have low Apgar scores at birth (an Apgar score is a measure of a baby’s immediate health at birth). There was some evidence that doula support in labor lowered rates of postpartum depression. There was no evidence that there are any negative effects of doula support.” - Cochrane Review (2017)