What is a Birth Doula?

The word Doula comes from the Greek word which means, ‘woman supporter, woman helper’. Today, the word Doula is widely accepted as a ‘labor assistant who provides continuous physical and emotional support during labor and delivery.’ Some may be called a labor coach (for mom & dad), a childbirth assistant, a mother assistant, a labor companion. However you would like to term it, doulas share a common belief, that childbirth is a miraculous process, and a powerful event in your life.

A Real Live Birth Doula.

When it comes to birth, couples may have expectations and fantasies about the type of birth they want. They often believe that they can handle this all by themselves. During your discussions, you may find that you have fear about what is really going to happen, or how will labor/delivery/birth really be, will you lose control because of the pain? These questions and concerns are real! Typically in a hospital, you will find that the nurses are busy taking care of several moms about to deliver at the same time. Your questions go unanswered, and you find yourself alone. Fear and panic can set in due to the nature of what is going on. Having a doula apart of your support team can help, because she is able to provide you with the objective insight with a calm and reassuring voice. She is able to support a couple on a different level because she is not intimately related to the woman in labor. Her goal is a happy and healthy delivery, one that will be remembered throughout their lives. Having a doula present does not mean that she is replacing her partner during this time, but rather, she is able to provide a nurturing, helpful and supportive role for the couple.

Another role of the doula is to offer position changes, a birthing ball, and massage with a goal to reassure, relax, comfort and inform mom during the birth. You will be faced with choices and decisions that you may need help with. A doula does NOT ever make decisions for you, but will be a advocate for you and your choices. When you think about it, if you don’t know what your choices are (before, during and after the birth), then you really don’t have much of a choice, or even a voice. That is another example of where a doula comes in. She is able to help talk you through what your choices might be After all, this is YOUR body, YOUR birth and YOUR baby!

If you would like more information on birth doulas, please visit www.blessedbethebelly.com