"Doula" is an ancient Greek term translated today as "a professional woman who provides
physical, emotional, and informational support during pregnancy, birth and postpartum".
Doulas are recognized for their contribution to improved physical outcomes and emotional
well-being of mothers and babies. They work in cooperation with fathers, family members,
midwives, physicians and nurses.
Doulas recognize birth as a key life experience that a woman will remember all her life.
The doula understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor.
She assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for
birth. The doula stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor, never
leaving her. She provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective
viewpoint, and assistance to the woman in getting the information she needs to make good
decisions. The doula facilitates good communication between the laboring woman, her partner,
and clinical caregivers. She perceives her role as one who nurtures and protects the woman's
memory of her birth experience.
The Hospital Physician journal in September 2001 quotes:
"The doula's work and nurturing presence complement the care that laboring women receive from
their careproviders." And "The continuous presence of an experienced doula during labor has
been demonstrated to endow a woman with confidence and to provide greater satisfaction in birth."
Doulas recognize birth as a key life experience that a woman will remember all her life.
The doula understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor.
She assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for
birth. The doula stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor, never
leaving her. She provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective
viewpoint, and assistance to the woman in getting the information she needs to make good
decisions. The doula facilitates good communication between the laboring woman, her partner,
and clinical caregivers. She perceives her role as one who nurtures and protects the woman's
memory of her birth experience.