 Doula is a Greek word and stands for ‘a woman who
serves’ or ‘mothering the mother’.
A doula has passion for the process of birth and recognises that
the mother will remember it all her life.
The doula’s goal is to help women have a safe and satisfying birth,
wherever and however the mother chooses.
A doula trusts
in a woman’s instincts. She stays
by her side throughout the entire labour, birth and
immediate time after.
A doula is usually employed by
the birthing family as a private birth attendant
and provides emotional
support,
physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint
and assistance
to the woman in getting the information she needs
to make well informed decisions.
A doula sees pregnancy
and birth as bodily functions and normal life events,
not as an illness that
needs to be
treated.
Doulas support midwives in their
work.
A doula specialises
in non-medical skills such as massage, aromatherapy,
relaxation, breath
awareness, positioning,
communication, etc.
A doula does NOT perform
clinical tasks such as vaginal exams, foetal heart
rate monitoring
or
blood pressure
readings.
A doula is knowledgeable and experienced
in birth. She can provide information about
clinical
procedures
and
interventions. Her skills can help to assess
your progress by observing
body physiology, facial expressions and
speech.
A doula will NOT diagnose medical conditions,
offer second opinions or give medical
advice.
A doula is your friendly guide, sister,
mother and professional supporter.
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