What is a doula?
A doula is a person who gives practical and emotional care during your birth preparation, your labour and birth, and helps you adjust to the new life with your baby. A doula can help you to identify the right choices for you and your baby and support your decisions so you can approach the birth of your baby with confidence. We believe that with good support birth can be a positive experience
Most doulas offer two distinct roles: a birth doula and a postnatal doula.
Birth doula
The doula’s primary role is to be a constant support to a mother during the birth process. Providing information, emotional support and care. Empowering mothers and fathers or partners to shape their own birth experience and the encouragement to believe in the ability of the human body to do this well. A doula does not take the place of a partner but rather enables them to support the labouring woman in the most helpful way for her.
Postnatal doula
The doula will visit you in your home, to support your transition into the new life with your baby. A doula will provide help, information and support with feeding, sleeping, care of siblings and general household tasks as agreed with each individual family.
A doula’s role is non-medical: a doula is never a replacement for a trained medical person such as a midwife or doctor. We are very clear about the boundaries between emotional and physical support, which we offer, and medical support, which we are not trained to give.
Studies have found that the non-clinical care that a doula provides can improve clinical outcomes, this is known as “The Doula Effect”.
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Details of this research can be found in The Doula Book by M.H. Klaus, MD, H. Kennell, MD and P.H. Klaus , CSW, MFT.
The word doula is an ancient one meaning “slave, bond women, servant, attendant.” This role has been carried out informally and voluntarily throughout history – that of women supporting each other before and after birth.
Our western culture has largely lost this tradition through the medicalisation of birth and through the increase of the nuclear family (as opposed to extended large family groups).
There are many examples of women taking on the role of doula (unrecognised in our society), however, official training and the first doula organisations were begun in the USA in 1980’s and 90’s. Doulas started working formally in the UK in the 1990’s and Doula UK was founded in 2001 and now has approximately 500 doulas registered.