What is a Doula?

Doula is a Greek word that means woman servant, also translated as a hand-maiden of God. Doula is a word which is now used to describe a woman who assists expectant mothers and their families before, during, and after the birth of a child. When women began to give birth in hospitals rather than in their homes, the tradition of women helping women in labor was lost.

Statistically, a professional support person, a doula, assisting through labor reduces the chances of cesarean surgery by half. The need for pain medication also decreases dramatically, and the time of labor is shortened by an average of two hours.

Many couples express a concern that having someone else present will interfere during this special life-changing event. After all, the father intimately knows his wife, has nothing but her best interest in mind, and sometimes has taken childbirth education classes to learn about labor and delivery. When the most productive time of labor begins to occur, and sometimes before this phase, both parents may begin to feel overwhelmed at the prospect of having to remember all that they’ve read and learned. Fear and panic may result. A doula frees the father to be the loving and emotionally available person that he wants and needs to be. It also prevents the father from feeling that he alone is responsible for nurturing his wife. This creates a relaxed and positive environment which is essential to the labor process.

Ideally, the Doula has already established a relationship with the couple during prenatal visits. The Doula uses these visits to assist the expectant parents in various ways. These include writing a birth plan, answering any questions, rehearsing different labor techniques, and assisting them in looking forward to the birth with a positive expectation rather than fear and unease. Postpartum visits are primarily used to assist with breast/bottle feeding issues and newborn care.

There have been a significant number of studies done both in the United States and in other countries clearly showing the benefits of doula-assisted births.

Robbie L. Person - Certified Birth Doula 

DONA International - Pregnancy, labor & birth support