What is a Doula?

Doulas have been around since the beginning of time. Its origins are found in the Ancient Greek word 'Doule' meaning "servant woman" or "woman who serves". These women used to be mothers, aunts, sisters, friends or wise women in their community who were experienced in supporting women in pregnancy, birth, and their postpartum.

A doula is someone who provides physical, emotional and spiritual support, and information to a woman and her partner during their pregnancy, labour and into the postpartum season.

A doula spends time during the pregnancy getting to know her clients, building a strong relationship, understanding their wishes and intentions, offering non-judgmental care, providing up-to-date research and education on various topics. She is available to speak with any time you have a question or need help or support.

A benefit of this devoted connection is that the woman ultimately ends up with a 'walking birth plan' as her doula can bring her back to her original intentions and wishes when the time may arise in the midst of labour.

She offers unbiased support as she is employed by the family and answers only to them. She has no affiliation with the midwives or doctors and her only concern is doing all she can to see her client achieve the birth she desires.

A doula will help alleviate the intensity of birth. She has become a safe person for the woman, someone she trusts and can find peace when in their company, where fear and anxiety is released, creating a cascade of physical stress release, allowing her body to birth without resistance to dilation and descent. Having seen many, many births and often experienced her own too the doula's encouragement is very real and women can trust they're cheering her on with a full heart of belief in her progress and ability to birth her own baby.

This closeness and presence can take the pressure off the partner as well. They become free to love and support her without concerns for what to do in regards to her labour and birthing support needs specifically. The doula can direct and encourage the support person and also give them time to rest by being involved in physical and emotional support. 

The doula will be focused on nourishing the parents throughout labour. Her attention is spread and will remind them to stay hydrated and eat to sustain energy. She will also remind the mother to use the loo regularly to keep minimal resistance against the uterus and babes descent. 

A woman is able to labour at home as long as possible when she has her doula with her. If this is what she wants, often times she intends to arrive during transition, not long before babe is anticipated to be born. The doula can assist in distinguishing her progress and when the time is right to head to the hospital, if that's the path the mother has chosen. 

When in hospital a doula's role can include being a 'birth keeper' or 'gate keeper', holding space and ensuring the only the people who enter the mother's sanctuary are those who she wants present. As you may know, the birthing space and mothers inner sanctum is sacred and fragile. Care of her space is absolutely vital for her progress and wellbeing. 

According to a Cochrane review in 2017, women who received continuous support during their labour were:

• more likely to give birth spontaneously
• less likely to use pain relief medications or epidurals
• less likely to have synthetic oxytocin 
• less likely to require a ventouse, forceps or caesarean delivery
• more likely to be satisfied with their birthing experience
• more likely to have shorter labours
• newborns were less likely to have a low five-minute APGAR score
• postpartum depression may be lower *this was difficult to ascertain due to difficulty comparing studies

I hope this has helped you understand just how thorough and broad the role of a doula is when invited in to be part of your motherhood and parenting journey. I'd love to answer any questions you may have. 

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