Health Update: How Friends May Make Labor Easier

How Friends Help Labor

Although labor isn't always one of those the more, the merrier moments, it may pay to ease up on your privacy policy. In a recent study of nearly 600 women in the journal Birth, those who had a female friend or relative serve as a doula in the delivery room (usually alongside, not instead of, their partners) reported shorter labors, were more likely to breastfeed, and had more new-mommy confidence six weeks later than those who did not.

Research shows that the mere presence of another woman during labor lowers levels of anxiety, pain, and fear, says study author Della Campbell, RN, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. When you experience those emotions, your body releases a series of hormones that triggers muscles to relax. And this actually disrupts the labor process because the uterus needs to contract in order to push the baby out.

So is this the right move for you? Read on.