The literal translation of the title doula in the Greek is “female slave for the childbearing woman,” or as it is now most recently translated, “woman serving woman” or, “one who mothers the mother.” All these definitions do not clearly represent who we are as doulas.

A better way to define ourselves would be to say we are gentle, non-judgemental women with a quiet presence who are usually mothers ourselves, who enjoy sharing the gifts and talents we have such as emotional and breastfeeding support along with practical newborn care tips. Much of our work is simply modeling and mentoring. We also help keep the household running smoothly during this transitional time with support in the areas of necessary household tasks such as laundry, light housekeeping, meal preparation, grocery shopping and errands. Post partum doulas help mothers ease into the transitions that come along with becoming a new mother. Having an experienced woman with you during this somewhat worrisome time is a comfort to you and is an invaluable resource when everything is so new.

Personally, I feel the most important part of our work is the emotional support we give our moms. Most new moms are very concerned for the welfare of their newborns and they have no one to tell them if they are doing everything “right.” I believe that women have an intuitive ability to nurture. These mothers just need a support person to walk beside them and offer pointers and give praise, so that they grow in confidence in their new role as a mother.

It is an amazing transition that takes place as these new moms finally see themselves as somewhat successful. As these moms experience success and their knowledge and self-confidence grow, their needs for professional support will diminish. Self-confidence has a tremendous impact on a person’s ability to approach any task, and parenting is no different. I so very much enjoy watching a mother “fly” so to speak. It is truly an amazing transformation.

We as doulas are not medical experts but we are educators. We have practiced our profession for many years and because of that we are a wealth of information and a great resource for new moms.

Postpartum doulas tend to be somewhat flexible and fluid in their roll as a caregiver to each family. Our work is very transitional and our ultimate goal is for the families we are caring for to become healthy family units.

One of my personal goals is help the family plan ahead for the next stage in development, sharing with them short cuts and ways to make each transition as smoothly as possible.

Please read our FAQ section for some common questions clients have, regarding doulas and our scope of practice.