A birth doula is someone who supports mother, baby and family physically, emotionally and spirituality during the antenatal, labour, birth and postpartum period of a woman's pregnancy.

What is Spiritual Birth Doula?

A spiritual birth doula's role is to provide a holistic, non-medical, and personalised form of care for woman, baby and family during a woman's pregnancy. Placing the woman's interests and needs at the very epicentre, a birth doula will inform and support the woman through the stages of her pregnancy, creating birth, dietary and wellness plans, provide emotional support, holistic therapies, and heartfelt intuition. Doula's cannot replace the clinical care one will get from your midwife or doctor, however, they provide extra support, and can help someone find balanced information to make informed choices, and feel connected and empowered throughout pregnancy.

History

Evidence of birth doulas can be found all throughout history, where women and communities came together in order to support mothers, to bring life into the world, and to raise their babies into childhood and adulthood. Although in the contemporary world, the boundaries between doulas and midwives are defined as separate, in ancient cultures, these roles blended into one holistic job. ​ In ancient Greece, women worked to support each other during childbirth, provided all-rounded support and guidance to women, and ensured a safe and positive birth experience. In fact, the origin of the word doula comes from the Greek word 'doulē', meaning 'female servant'. ​ ​ Between 2200 BC – 1700 BC in the Biblical era, women were respected in their midwifery and doula roles, and were skilled in carrying out deliveries, examinations and gender identification during breeched presentations. ​ ​ In 3500 BC – 100 BC during Egyptian Antiquity, women grew more clinically inclined and emotionally supportive. They were able to determine the expected date of delivery, describe different styles of delivery chairs, accelerate the delivery progress, and were well versed in the practice of herbalism in order to provide women with according drugs during their labour.