We have a secret in our culture...

If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it.

John H. Kennell, MD

The word, "doula," comes from the Greek word for the most important female slave or servant in an ancient Greek household, the woman who probably helped the lady of the house through her childbearing. The word has come to refer to "a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth." (Klaus, Kennell and Klaus, Mothering the Mother)

      A doula...

* Stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor *

* Recognizes birth as a key life experience that the mother will remember all her life *

* 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 *

* Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and clinical careproviders *

 *Perceives her role as one who nutures and protects the woman's memory of her birth experience *

* Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint and assistance to the woman and her family in getting the information she needs to make good decisions *