"I believe the doula works heart to heart, eye to eye and breath to breath with the mother. Her wishes guide my care. I work as part of the team made up of her loved ones, her nurse, doctor or midwife."
- Eva Bild
A doula accompanies women and their partners, friends and family during labour to facilitate a satisfying birth experience.
Having a doula at a birth is a very old idea. Long before there were midwives or doctors to deliver babies, there were knowledgeable, compassionate, friendly women who were there to keep the labouring mother happy and comfortable. This might have been old aunt Esther who made wonderful soup and knew how to swaddle babies up just so, or young cousin Sarah who had never had babies but had wonderful hands for rubbing sore backs.
When the birthing of babies in North America moved to the hospital and skilled professionals became widely available to deliver babies safely, the idea of a non-medical comforting presence was forgotten. As extended families scattered, urban communities became more anonymous, hospitals became bigger, and nurses became busier, the doula made a come-back.
Learn more...
• Mothering Touch Doula Services
• DONA-Approved Birth Doula Workshop
