The word “doula” comes from the ancient Greek meaning “a woman who serves” and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

A doula:

*understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor

*assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth

*stays by the side of the labouring woman throughout the entire labour and birth

*provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, and 
 helps the woman get the information she needs to make informed decisions

*facilitates communication between the labouring woman, her partner and clinical care providers

*recognizes the intimate, sacred nature of birth, a key life experience that the mother will remember forever

Research has shown that the continuous support a doula provides can:

• decrease your chances of an episiotomy or forceps/vacuum delivery
• decrease your chances of Caesarian section
• improve your ability to cope with the pain of labour
• decrease your need for epidural analgesia or other pain medications
• decrease the length of your labor
• reduce negative feelings about the childbirth experience
• give a mother greater self-confidence and success with breastfeeding
• and reduce the chance of postpartum depression