Doula FAQs

What is a birth doula?

Doulas are trained companions rooted in ancient traditions. The term “doula” is translated from Greek to mean “a woman who serves.” A birth doula is a trained maternal support practitioner who provides emotional, physical, logistical, informational, and advocacy support during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Unlike medical providers, doulas don’t perform clinical tasks but instead focus on helping the birthing person feel supported, respected, and heard. They also guide and reassure partners, helping them play an active role in the birth experience.

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Doulas work in all birth settings—hospitals, birth centers, and home births—alongside midwives, doctors, OBs, and nurses. They don’t make decisions for their clients but help them understand their options, advocate for their preferences, and navigate the birth experience with confidence.

 

Examples of what birth doula support looks like in practice:

Emotional:

• Reassurance and encouragement (for birthing person and partner).

• Validation and processing of the birthing person’s worries, fears, and experiences (e.g., making space for emotions beyond “healthy mom, healthy baby”).

• A continuous and soothing presence that is attuned to the birthing person’s needs and preferences.

 

Physical:

• Massage.

• Relaxation techniques, including breathing and body relaxation techniques.

• Reminders to and assistance in movement and positioning that can speed up labor and/or ease discomfort/pain.

• Creating an environment that mirrors the birthing person’s state and preferences—e.g., dimming lights, upbeat or calm music, candles, etc.

• Breast/chestfeeding support.

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Informational + Logistical:

• Helping to prepare for what to expect (and how to embrace the inevitable surprises) during labor, birth, and postpartum.

•  Evidence-based information to guide preparation and decision-making.

• Birth planning.

• Guidance throughout labor and birth, such as support in identifying the onset of active labor. 

• Suggestions for and guidance in utilizing calming, coping, and non-medical pain management techniques for labor and birth, as well as movement and positions to try. 

• Logistical support such as what to expect upon arrival at hospital when in labor, postpartum/baby gear, etc.

• Helping to identify a support system and plan for postpartum period.

 

Partner:

• Teaching the partner how to use pain management techniques for laboring person.

• Providing them a space to ask questions and, importantly, process their experience of supporting labour and witnessing birth in the early postpartum period.

• Reassurance and encouragement for their role (e.g., “I know she looks like she’s in a lot of pain, but she’s in transition right now and this is a good thing! Keep encouraging her that she can do it”).

 

Advocacy:

• Encouraging asking questions and guidance on key questions to ask.

• Supporting the birthing person’s decision.

• Amplifying the birthing person's voice if being dismissed, ignored, or not heard.

• Creating space and time for the birthing family so that they can ask questions, gather evidence-based information, and make decisions without feeling pressured.

• Facilitating communication between the parents and health providers.

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Read more about what doula support looks like from real clients here and on my Google page.

Explore my doula service packages.
 

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What is the evidence on birth doula support?

Key to a doula’s role is ensuring that, by providing accurate information and good support, the birthing person is able to make the best decisions for themselves and their baby. Doulas do not take the place of a medical professional as the doula does not undertake any medical tasks, but instead is an invaluable part of the overall birth team. There is a lot of evidence showing the invaluable asset that a continuous support person, particularly a trained doula, can be for an individual’s birth.

 

Research has shown, in fact, that doulas:

• Shorten labor and delivery times

• Improve the likelihood of having a positive birth experience

• Decrease the likelihood of unwanted pain medication, epidurals, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and C-sections

• Decrease the likelihood of giving birth to a baby with a low Apgar score (a rating of the baby’s well-being five minutes after birth)

• Increase the likelihood of the birthing person being able to successfully initiate and continue to exclusively breastfeed

• May also lower rates of postpartum depression in birthing people.

 

Curious to learn more? Check this summary of evidence on the Evidence-based Birth website.

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I have a partner. Should I get a doula?
Doulas are as much of a support to a partner as they are to the birthing person. Most partners have never attended a birth and I consistently find partners, whether first-time parents or otherwise, relieved and appreciative to have someone in their corner guiding them through the process. It is very important to me that your partner also feels supported and empowered by my services, and I love supporting couples in strengthening their connection through the birthing experience. Read this partner's review to see a client's firsthand experience working with me.

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This is not my first birth. Is a doula helpful?
Absolutely! I love working with parents who are adding to their family and consistently see how valuable they find doula support, even with previous birth experience. This may be because they are planning for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), had a traumatic or challenging first birth, only recently learned of doula support, or know they'll need more support because they have other kids at home.

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Midwife vs. Doula — What's the difference?
Midwives are doing incredibly important work, and we are privileged to get to work alongside them. Midwives are responsible for the health of the birthing person and babe, however, so they must prioritize medical tasks, charting, and other essential duties while attending a birth. This means that a midwife’s ability to stay focused on the emotional needs of a client, on what the laboring person needs during each contraction, can be limited. Doulas and midwives work very well together and complement each other, and allow a holistic and comprehensive support system for the birthing person as well as the partner, if the birthing person has one present.

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Can I have a doula for a hospital birth?

YES! Hospitals are a particularly valuable place to have doula support as it can be an intimidating and confusing environment. In the Upper Valley we are fortunate to have wonderful health providers who welcome doulas, because they have seen the added support and value doulas provide, especially when hospital staff are spread thin. Wherever and however you give birth, I am there to support and empower you.

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What if I plan to use pain medication?

My goal is to support you so you feel good about your birth—not define the parameters of what that looks like for you. I know that women have fought for the right to have pain medication during labor and childbirth, and that women have also fought for the right to birth naturally. Similarly, folks have fought for the ability to birth in a hospital, and at home with midwifery support. My job is to give you accurate information to make informed decisions about the kind of birth you want and will feel good about. Read this client's firsthand experience to see what this looks like in practice.

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Will hiring a doula ensure that my birth will go as I plan?
Unfortunately, no—there are so many variables in birth, and no one can guarantee any outcome, regardless of what you do to prepare. The only thing you can truly control during labor and birth is how you feel, and a doula can be instrumental in helping you to stay focused and connected to yourself and this truth. Critically, a doula is also incredibly useful to have as a support to help you adjust as and when circumstances change and help remind you to ask the questions you want in order to be an active participant in decision-making around what happens to your body and your babe.

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​Are there other types of doulas?

Yes! In addition to birth doulas, there are also doulas trained for other areas of one’s reproductive journey, from abortion to (in)fertility to pregnancy loss and postpartum.

Reproductive/Perinatal Types of Doulas:

• Postpartum Doula – Supporting families in the transition after birth with newborn care, feeding support, and emotional well-being.

• Fertility Doulas – Supporting individuals and couples navigating conception, assisted reproduction, and fertility challenges.

• Pregnancy Loss Doulas – Helping individuals and families through expected and unexpected pregnancy loss or termination (abortion). 

​Some doulas specialize in particular areas, such as birth or fertility or postpartum, while others are trained across multiple areas and can support a client throughout their journey.

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Doulas Beyond Birth/Perinatal

The term doula has increasingly expanded beyond birth work to describe a wide range of support roles in different contexts. While traditionally associated with birth and postpartum care, doulas now support individuals through various reproductive experiences—including fertility, pregnancy loss, abortion, and end-of-life care. More broadly, the concept of a doula has been applied to non-medical, emotional, and logistical support in other fields, such as death doulas guiding individuals and families through the dying process, or even professional and social justice contexts, where people act as doulas for systemic change and organizational transformation. This is how I've integrated my doula perspective into my work as an equality consultant.