FAQ's about Doulas

1.Where does the word "doula" come from?
"Doula" is a Greek word meaning "servant" or "helper." Recently, the word has come to refer to a woman who is experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth.

2. Is a doula the same as a midwife?
No. Doulas do not replace the care of a midwife or any other medical staff. Doulas do not perform clinical or medical tasks such as taking blood pressure or temperature, monitoring fetal heart rate, doing vaginal examinations or providing postpartum clinical care. They are there to comfort and support the mother and to enhance communication between the mother and medical professionals.

3. Does the doula speak to the medical staff on my behalf?
No. The doula's role is simply to provide information to the mother or birth partner so that they may have the information necessary to make any crucial decisions that may deviate from her birth plan. The doula is there to support the decisions you make regarding your birth and will support your decisions, but will not make those decisions for you.

4. Do I need a doula if my husband is there?
A doula can never love the laboring mom as much or in the same way as the husband can. He knows her and loves her intimately, and he is one of the main figures in the event taking place, so his role is vital. However, the husband has never given birth, or had experience in providing labor support in the same way a doula has. By having a doula’s presence, the father is freed from needing to remember every idea mentioned in childbirth class. Working together, the father’s knowledge of the mother, and the doula’s knowledge of birth, can give the ultimate level of comfort and support to the laboring woman and best provide her with the opportunity for a birth experience she will remember with joy for the rest of her life.