Working as a doula is truly wonderful, exhilarating, exhausting, stressful and magical work. We have the honor of seeing some of life’s most miraculous and devastating moments on a day-to-day basis. We also have the responsibility and opportunity to help improve the support of birthing families, one birth at a time. What a privilege!
 
— Anna Hurty,
CCBE, CD* (DONA) Doula,
Childbirth Educator
Birth Garden, Berkeley, California
(*Note: CCBE stands for “Certified Child Birth Educator”; CD stands for “Certified Doula”)

Doula is a Greek word meaning “servant.” In the world of labor and delivery, a doula is a part of the birth team who supports the mother emotionally and physically during birth or helps the new mother adjust to her new role after the birth. There are three types of doulas: birth doulas, postpartum (derived from the Latin ‘post’ meaning ‘after’ and ‘partum’ meaning ‘birth’; first used in 1846 per Merriam Webster dictionary) doulas, and antepartum doulas (meaning ‘before birth’).
 
  • A birth doula is a professional, non-medical labor assistant whose role is to comfort the mother and father during birth, act as a liaison between the hospital staff and the birthing family, and provide one-to-one care that the hospital staff, midwife or doctor may be unable to provide.
 
  • A postpartum doula cares for the mother and infant after the birth. She helps the new mother cope with her new role, performs light housekeeping, guides the parents in newborn care, and runs errands.
 
  • Antepartum doulas provide support for mothers who need extra help during pregnancy, like women with high-risk pregnancies on bed rest or severe morning sickness. An antepartum doula may provide education, household help, bed rest assistance, meal preparation, and help with errands.

A birth doula may work independently, alongside a midwife, or for a hospital or birth center. She may attend as many as four or five births per month or as few as one every other month. Doulas who work for hospitals may work with families more often, especially if they are working in shifts and are not tied to particular clients. Doulas may be certified childbirth educators or volunteers.

A postpartum or antepartum doula may work independently or for an agency. She may work only a few hours or many hours per week, depending on the number of clients she assists. Sometimes, birth doulas offer antepartum or postpartum services to select clients, or conversely, antepartum or postpartum doulas may offer birth doula services in certain situations.

Antepartum doulas provide support for mothers who need extra help during pregnancy, like women with high-risk pregnancies on bed rest or severe morning sickness. An antepartum doula may provide education, household help, bed rest assistance, meal preparation, and help with errands.

A birth doula may work independently, alongside a midwife, or for a hospital or birth center. She may attend as many as four or five births per month or as few as one every other month. Doulas who work for hospitals may work with families more often, especially if they are working in shifts and are not tied to particular clients. Doulas may be certified childbirth educators or volunteers.

A postpartum or antepartum doula may work independently or for an agency. She may work only a few hours or many hours per week, depending on the number of clients she assists. Sometimes, birth doulas offer antepartum or postpartum services to select clients, or conversely, antepartum or postpartum doulas may offer birth doula services in certain situations.