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You might have heard the word doula, but you may wonder what is a doula? It refers to a woman assisting another woman when giving birth.

It is thought that having another woman around has benefice effects on the pregnant woman regarding the process of labor and childbirth.

What is a labor doula?

In our days, a doula is a trained professional that offers physical, emotional and informational support to the expecting women, women in labor or those who have gone through childbirth recently. Her main focus is to make sure that the whole experience will be safe, empowering and memorable.

In the majority of the cases when people are thinking about a labor doula, they forget that they could also be thinking about antepartum and postpartum doulas. There are some other names as well for a doula of this kind.

What Is a Doula  And What does she do?

Now that you know what is a doula, you may be wondering what is her job. Usually the relationship between the doula and the client starts a few months before childbirth. In this period of time the soon-to-be-mother may like to ask any questions she has, to talk about her concerns and fears and this is where the doula comes in, also the doula can actively take part in the planning of the birth with the soon-to-be-mother.

In the majority of the cases, the labor doula is available through phone and this is how the mothers can reach her. Keep in mind that they don’t have a medical role in the process. Nonetheless they do have medical knowledge and to they could offer you some information regarding the different aspects of pregnancy and childbirth.

If you are thinking about what is a doula, you should know that during childbirth a doula is constantly at your side.

They can help you with pain relief, such as relaxation techniques, breathing, laboring positions or massage. They usually support the presence of the partner to reassure women during labor.

The labor doula is a kind of advocate for the mother, and so she supports the mother in her every decision regarding childbirth. No matter what kind of birth the mother opts for, the doula has to make sure that she will have a nice experience.

Regarding what is a doula, it is good to know that she will spend some time with the mother after childbirth as well, and in the majority of the cases she supports the close connections between the mother and the family members and friends.

Why to have a labor doula?

When a doula is present at childbirth, a lot of studies have shown that in the majority of the cases the outcome is a positive one. In case such a person is present, women are less likely to need pain relief medications and the number of cesarean births is also low, not to mention that women have nice experiences.

Now you may see why you need to know what is a doula and you should consider getting one as well to make the experience better.