Doula UK’s Definition & Role of a Doula
‘Doula’ is a Greek word, loosely translated as “in service of” but in this context it is taken to mean a woman who provides sustained physical, emotional and informational support during labour, birth and the early days of parenthood. The role of the Doula is probably as old as women giving birth. Doulas may specialise in supporting women through pregnancy, labour and birth (Birth doulas), or in the time shortly after birth (Postnatal doulas), or they may work in both areas.
Doulas are not medical professionals and do not perform clinical tasks, diagnose medical conditions, or give medical advice. In the UK, at a birth the midwife is the person with primary responsibility for the health and wellbeing of the mother and baby. The midwife (and/or doctor) will assess the condition of the mother and baby, assess the progress of labour and diagnose and treat complications as they arise. Following birth the mother and baby will be under the care of a midwife, transferring to the care of a health visitor around 10 days after the birth.
Role of a Birth Doula
A Birth Doula supports the mother wherever or however she chooses to give birth – home, birth centre, hospital – with or without medical intervention.
A Birth Doula will usually meet with the woman and her partner before the birth to establish a relationship and to discuss her hopes and dreams for her birth. The time may also be used to talk about previous experiences or fears that might impact on this birth and for the Birth Doula to provide the mother with any information she can share.
During the labour and birth, the Birth Doula will be a nurturing presence, providing as much comfort as possible which may include massage or help with breathing and relaxation, encouragement and reassurance. The Birth Doula may also be able to provide information so that the mother and her partner can make informed choices about their care. However, the Birth Doula will never make decisions over their heads or steer them towards a particular course of action.
An important role of the Birth Doula is to stay with the new mother/family after the birth until she is sure they are comfortable and settled. Usually a time will come when the mother/parents would like to be alone with their baby/ies - establishing those first bonds as a family - and the Birth Doula will be sensitive to this.
Postnatal Doulas
Women are not meant to shoulder the responsibility of motherhood alone. In an ideal situation the extended family would be able to provide continuous support at this early stage of parenting. The modern family is all too often nuclear and separate from the local community network. Parents often have no previous experience of newborn babies until they are holding their own. This can be an unsettling and, at times, even frightening experience, creating feelings of isolation and abandonment. Postnatal Doulas specialise in guiding the newborn parents and baby through these early experiences as a new family by offering help and support once the baby is born.
The exact form of this support will vary according to the mother’s or family’s needs. The Postnatal Doula will give support and counsel to the new mother while carrying out light domestic jobs and maintaining order within the home (e.g. shopping, cooking, helping with older children and any other reasonable requests). She will help the mother care for herself so that the mother can mother her baby. Unlike a maternity nurse or nanny, a Postnatal Doula will aid the mother in her transition from womanhood to motherhood to find her own way in her new role.
Usually a Postnatal Doula will join a family for a period of six to eight weeks or more, working a mutually agreed upon set number of hours per day, for up to several days a week.
