It's World Doula Week - What is a doula?

It’s World Doula Week, so we thought we’d do up a quick post all about doulas :) If you are unsure of what a doula is and what they do, this should help clear things up. 

I’ve been a birth doula for nearly 16 years and in this time doulas and their awareness has increased by leaps and bounds. We are however still a little miss represented in the media and many people confuse doulas with midwives. 

Birth Doula Basics

• We do not catch (deliver) babies. We offer prenatal education, emotional support during pregnancy and of course physical, emotional and mental support during your labour & birth. 
• We are not medical care providers. As mentioned above, we offer support and education. During your pregnancy you will still need a care provider (midwife and/or doctor, possibly an OB depending on circumstances). 
• We work for you, not your hospital, birth center or care provider. If you are planning a home birth, we’ll be there, if you’re planning a hospital birth, we’ll be there, if you’re planning on birthing in a tent near a lake…. You get the picture ;)
• We do not take the place of your partner. Your partner has intimate knowledge of you, we have intimate knowledge of birth. Together we make the best team!
• We can work with you whether this is your first baby or 7th. As every birth is different, your needs are different than other parents. Birth doulas work with you to figure out what types of support you are wanting. 

A Doula for every season.

There are a few different types of doula as well. As I mentioned above, I am a birth doula, which means my main focus is pregnancy, birth and immediate postpartum. There are postpartum doulas, who focus on postpartum recovery, newborn care and all things after birth. There are even doulas for loss who can help navigate miscarriage and stillbirth.

In all situations we act as a companion that is non-medical. We can help as a sounding board to discuss tests and procedures, help make plans for future needs and provide education for the various stages of pregnancy & postpartum. We offer non biased support during your times of transition. 

Working as a doula.

Being a birth doula has been one of my most rewarding careers. It is always such an honour to be invited into the birth space of any family. The doula lifestyle is not for everyone though, when I would have a full client load, it could mean I was on call for several months at a time. Having a young family in my early doula years was somewhat difficult. There were times when I couldn’t make plans or times when I missed family plans. My kids were usually pretty awesome about it. When I would get home from being gone all evening (or several days) they’d often ask how the parents were doing and they’d ask about baby stats. My kids have enjoyed hearing all the baby names over the years!

We’ll be posting doula facts and information all week long on our social media, feel free to join us on IG and FB. Do you have any doula questions?