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What
is a Doula?
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The word "doula" comes from ancient Greek and is now used to refer to a woman who helps other women. It has been applied to childbirth to refer to a "woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth" (Klaus, Kennell and Klaus in Mothering the Mother).
A Doula:
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Recognizes birth as a key life experience that the mother will remember all her life.
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Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor.
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Assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth.
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Stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor.
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Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint, and assistance to the woman in getting the information she needs to make good decisions.
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Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and clinical care providers.
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Perceives her roles as one who nurtures and protects the woman's memory of her birth experience.
