What is a Doula?
A doula is a trained professional who provides physical, emotional, and informational support to people before, during, and after childbirth and various stages of womanhood. Unlike midwives or medical professionals, doulas don't provide medical care but focus on advocacy, comfort measures, and helping clients with support around the journey through womanhood from puberty to post-menopause experiences.
Although there are many types of doulas; here is a list of some of the most common modern day doulas of today:
Menarche Doulas: Support young girls with the physical and emotional transition through the stages of puberty. This includes understanding their bodies, menstrual cycles, and sexual health.
Fertility Doulas: Support families that are looking to optimize their fertility and seeking support with alternative fertility measures such as IUI, IVF, ICSI, surrogacy, embryo adoption, foster parenting and adoption.
Prenatal Doulas: Help to prepare expectant parents for childbirth and early parenthood by covering essential topics like labour and delivery processes, breathing techniques, pain management options, and medical procedures. These classes teach practical newborn care skills including feeding, bathing, and safety, while also addressing common pregnancy discomforts and coping strategies. They provide continuous support to help parents maintain confidence in their pregnancy.
Labour and Birth Doulas: Support during the final stages of pregnancy, the onset of labour, and delivery - providing physical comfort, emotional support, and advocacy in medical settings.
Postpartum Doulas: Help new parents after birth with newborn care, breastfeeding support, household tasks, and emotional adjustment.
Nursing and Nutrition Doulas: Help with nutrition planning for breastfeeding mothers and support new moms with adjusting to nursing and supporting the baby with suckling.
Antepartum Doulas: Assist during high-risk or difficult pregnancies, providing support for bed rest and pregnancy complications.
Full-spectrum Doulas: Support all pregnancy outcomes, including live birth, child-loss, and adoption.
End-of-Life Doulas: Help individuals and families through end-of-life transitions, providing emotional support and practical guidance.
A doula is someone who provides support services to support women through the various stages of womanhood. Traditionally this was primarily labour, birth, and postpartum support. Now doulas provide all sorts of support at all stages of life.