What is a Doula?

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...
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
Stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor
Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint and assistance to the woman in getting the information she needs to make good decisions
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.
The acceptance of doulas in maternity care is growing rapidly with the recognition of their important contribution to the improved physical outcomes and emotional well-being of mothers and infants

Articles

The Professional Birth Assistant - Your Partner in Achieving the Birth You Desire, by Mayri Sagady

Websites

Doulas of North America (DONA) - an international association of doulas who are trained to provide the highest quality emotional, physical and educational support to women and their families during childbirth and postpartum
Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA) - a non-profit international organization that was founded in 1998 to offer the highest level of professional membership and training to childbirth educators, lactation educators, labor doulas, antepartum doulas and postpartum doulas.