What is a doula? What is the power of doula care? The term “Doula” came from ancient Greek, meaning “a woman who serves” (Dukehart). According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary website, “ A Doula is a person trained to provide advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth” (Doula Definition & Meaning). DONA International describes a doula as “a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to their client before, during and shortly after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible” (What is a Doula).
Today, the meaning of the word doula has evolved to cover multi faceted services, such as birth doula, postpartum doula, abortion doula, and even end of life (death) doula. In the sense of the original Greek meaning, “ a person who serves”, each doula type is here to provide emotional, physical, and informational support to the person or persons in need.
As a birth and postpartum doula, I am here for the birthing person and their family. I provide support to the birthing person in the manner of education and information prior to labor and delivery. During labor and birth, I provide the birthing person with knowledge of comfort measures, skilled in hands on or hands off physical support, and information to guide the birthing family to make informed choices concerning birth. After delivery, I provide emotional support, assist to establish chosen feeding methods, and guidance with basic newborn care. Throughout the entire process, I am here for the family, partner, and birthing person. From 9 months to 90 days postpartum, hence, Nine&Ninety, welcome to my web presence.
Comment below if you've ever had doula care. What was your experience?
References
“Doula Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doula#:~:text=noun,during%2C%20and%20just%20after%20childbirth.
Dukehart, Coburn. “Doulas: Exploring a Tradition of Support.” NPR, NPR, 14 July 2011, https://www.npr.org/sections/babyproject/2011/07/14/137827923/doulas-exploring-a-tradition-of-support#:~:text=The%20word%20%22doula%22%20comes%20from,and%20the%20early%20postpartum%20period.
“What Is a Doula.” DONA International, 26 July 2022, https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula/.
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