What's a Doula?

Doula is a Greek word meaning “servant."  In modern use, it is a woman trained in pregnancy and birth who “mothers the mother.” Doulas love birth and babies and honor this time as an important rite of passage in a family’s life.

Birth doulas, or childbirth assistants, are trained professionals who serve the birthing woman and her partner. A doula supports women in achieving the birth they desire, whether at home, a birth center, or the hospital. She can teach you techniques for minimizing discomfort in advance of the big day. She assists during labor and birth by providing continuous physical and emotional support. She can use massage and special comfort measures,  provide reassurance of what is normal, and be a helping hand. She is someone who knows what you're experiencing and believes in your abilities to birth and the choices you make. She encourages informed consent for all decisions by offering objective, balanced information, and she respects whatever the family decides. In addition, a doula facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner, and their care provider.

 

Doulas are not medical personnel, and don't perform clinical tasks, such as blood pressure, fetal heart checks, vaginal exams, or others.  Rather, they serve as assistants to the mother. They are skilled at helping the mother through the complex emotions of birth, offering guidance for comfortable and effective birthing positions, helping mothers focus during contractions, and increasing comfort using a variety of non-pharmacological means.  A doula does not make decisions or speak for a couple to the medical staff.  She instead facilitates their ability to self-advocate. She gently reminds them to voice their preferences, provides objective information about common procedures, and helps translate medical terminology.

Some parents expect their doctor, nurse, or midwife to fulfill this role. Most doctors are caring for multiple women during birth. Although nurses are experienced in dealing with a laboring woman's emotional and physical needs, they can seldom offer one-on-one support which lasts throughout the birthing time. Midwives may be able to offer more labor support, but they too have clinical duties to which they must attend. A doula's continuous support fulfills this role and gives parents the freedom to focus entirely on the experience of the birth of their baby.