A doula is a professional labor assistant who is trained to support and empower women and their partners during the last stages of pregnancy, birth, and the first weeks postpartum.  She works to create a positive birth experience by providing a continuous presence during the birth, nurturing the mother, and offering physical comfort measures through breathing, relaxation, positioning, and movements, as well as emotional support and encouragement. 

A doula is knowledgeable about the labor process, breastfeeding, and newborn and mother care.  She is available to provide evidence-based information and support a mother and her partner as they make informed decisions about the care of mother and baby. 

A doula strives to reduce tension and fear and increase feelings of safety and confidence during a mother’s labor.  Studies have shown the presence of a doula reduces the use of labor-inducing drugs, such as pitocin, pain medications, and epidurals.  It also tends to result in shorter labors, fewer interventions, and fewer cesarean sections. (“Caregiver Support for Women During Childbirth: Does the Presence of a Labor-Support Person Affect Maternal-Child Outcomes?” American Family Physician, October 1, 2002; “Social Support By Doulas During Labor And The Early Postpartum Period,” Hospital Physician, September 2001)

A doula is not a replacement for medical staff, neither nursing staff nor a midwife or obstetrician.  She can not offer medical advice or diagnoses, or perform clinical tasks, such as vaginal exams or fetal heart-rate monitoring.  While she may assist in gathering information, she does not make decisions for a mother and her partner or act as their voice.  She also does not impose her own goals or ideals on a mother or her partner.

The roles of a doula and medical staff are vastly different. The main role of a doula is to ensure the woman feels safe, encouraged, listened to and supported. The main role of a medical staff is to ensure a safe outcome. The work a doula and the medical staff do should compliment each other. Ideally, they will work together to help ensure a safe and positive journey along with a safe and positive outcome for mother, baby and partner.