Supported Birth

What is a Doula?

The word 'doula' (pronounced doo-la) literally means 'woman who serves', but has grown to mean a woman who supports another woman through pregnancy, birth and in the postnatal period. It is also sometimes referred to as the role of 'mothering the mother'.

In traditional cultures, a pregnant woman is surrounded by other, more experienced women in the community who advise and encourage her throughout her pregnancy, support her in her birth and nurture her and her new baby in the first few weeks or months afterwards. This tradition has been lost in many western societies, but through the work of doulas it is beginning to return. The doula doesn't take on a medical role, but will provide ongoing support to the mother and her partner during pregnancy, throughout the whole labour and in the post partum period.

What can a doula offer the mother for the birth?

A doula can help to talk you through your birth plan and discuss ahead of time any concerns or worries you may have about labour. She will support and guide you in
the decisions you make about where to birth and how to plan it. She will be
available at any time leading up to the birth for any questions, concerns or
problems that may arise. She will listen to you and your partner and will be
an advocate on your behalf with medical professionals if necessary. She
will be able to explain medical terminology and will be able to provide
objective information at every stage. She will be by your side continuously,
a calm and knowledgeable presence, whose sole purpose is to be with you
and support you and your partner through this time.

After the birth she will be able to ease you through those first few days,
offering encouragement with breastfeeding if needed, answering any questions
and debriefing the birth with you.

What can a doula offer the mother after the birth?

Adjusting to having a new baby in the family can take time, and certainly in the first few weeks and months, managing to find quality time to either simply enjoy your new baby or to take some time out for yourself may feel almost impossible. A postnatal doula can help to make this more of a reality by coming to your home usually several times a week and offering companionship and guidance with any issues that may arise, taking on light housework such as laundry, grocery shopping and meal preparation and caring for older children if needed. In addition, she can support you by caring for your baby to allow you to have some time for yourself.

Many cultures around the world see the immediate postnatal period as a very precious time during which the new mother's normal responsibilities are taken on by others to allow her time to bond with her baby, get feeding and sleeping patterns estalished and to recover from the birth. This 'babymoon' time is something that modern society no longer recognises in the same way but this needn't be the case, and a postnatal doula can help to make your babymoon as precious and nurturing as possible.

What can a doula offer the partner?

During the birth, the presence of a doula frees up the father or partner of the birthing woman to be with her as a partner without them having to also be her advocate and her sole support at a time when they are invariably going through an awful lot themselves. One partner of a labouring woman described the experience of having the support of a doula from the partner's perspective particularly eloquently, and gave permission for her words to be quoted here:

"A doula is your own personal childbirth cheerleader. She's there to support you as much as she is there to support the labouring mother. She can help in a myriad of ways from being the person who fetches water, ice, food etc to talking to the midwives/doctors on your behalf. She gives you time to go and cry in the bathroom because its so hard to see someone you love completely overtaken by such a powerful feeling. She will massage her back while you face her talking to her, holding her hand, stroking her head and hold the straw to her mouth. If things go wrong she'll explain all the medical terminology to you and help you decide what's best. She'll phone your family/friends with an update for you, she'll remind the mother to eat, to breathe, to relax her shoulders, to low like a cow not squeal like a piglet. She'll remind you to eat, breathe, relax too. Best of all she's there in the room with you all the time. You are never left feeling panicky and wondering when the midwife is going to come back."

Eve, Fertility Friends Forum

After the birth a doula can help to take the pressure off the partner by taking on domestic tasks which frees them up to spend time with their partner and new child, and by supporting them as they settle into their new role and learn to care for their baby. Once the partner has returned to work a new mother can sometimes feel isolated and even overwhelmed by full-time motherhood. Knowing that there is someone there to support her and ensure she has answers to her questions as well as time and space to relax can be a great relief to partners who are not able to be there themselves due to work pressures.