What is a doula?

A birth doula is a non-medical person experienced with birth that a family chooses to help support them during pregnancy, labour and delivery and post- partum care. A birth doula supports and empowers families by providing information, emotional support, and physical comfort measures.  

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Does a Doula deliver babies?

A doula is non-medically trained, so they do not replace the role of an obstetrician or midwife. Rather the role of a doula is to offer support to the pregnant woman and her partner prior to, during and after labour/delivery. This support comes in many forms, including emotional, informational, physical, advocacy, and professionalism.

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Does a doula replace the role of my partner?

A doula’s role is to support both the woman delivering the child, and her partner. It can be very helpful to have someone attending the birth who is not as emotionally involved as one’s spouse or partner. The doula can work with the partner to help them be as much or as little involved as they want to be, while ensuring that the mother’s needs are still met. This can include fetching water and cold cloths, making suggestions for comfort measures, providing massage, helping with mobility, and suggesting positional changes to help baby progress.

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Does a doula only support “natural” births?

A doula supports all birth experiences, whether they are a home birth, in hospital, medicated, non-medicated, vaginal or caesarean. The role of a doula is to support the mother in whatever type of birth she desires. A doula can be very helpful in helping to increase the likelihood of achieving the desired birth experience, as well as aid the emotional well being of the mother in accepting if things don’t go exactly as planned. By discussing one’s birth plan prior to the due date, the doula has a comprehensive understanding of the wishes of the expectant mother and will do all that she can to help achieve and accept her birth experience as it progresses.

 

Is a doula covered by my individual health plan?

Due to the fact that a doula is not a medical support person, their services are not covered at this time. Possible exceptions with individual health plans.