Hummingbird Doulas - History of the Doula

History of the Doula

“Doula” is a Greek word that refers to a woman personally serving another woman. Researchers who conducted randomized clinical trials on the medical outcomes of doula attended births adopted the term to describe the role of a birth doula when they found that having a non- medical woman supporting birthing women resulted in dramatically reduced rates of epidural use, forceps, pitocin augmentation and cesarean section (Klaus, Kennel, and Klaus 1993).

“Childbirth has historically been a deeply entrenched social event in which women bonded as they shared a rite of passage. . . . The art of many cultures and centuries illustrating childbirth consistently depicts a laboring woman surrounded by women offering social support. . . . Strong scientific evidence supporting the benefits of continuous care by a doula during labor and delivery has been documented in many studies (Hospital Physician, September 2001 p. 57).”

What is a Doula?

Labor support doulas are trained, experienced women who attend to the emotional and physical comfort of laboring women in order to support and smooth the birthing process. A doula does not perform clinical tasks like checking blood pressure, performing vaginal exams, or assessing fetal well- being, but rather, she uses techniques like massage, positioning suggestions, aromatherapy, affirmation, and encouragement to help a laboring mother progress through childbirth as well as possible.

Your labor support doula will join you either in your home, or at your hospital or birth center, at the onset of active labor; she will stay with you and your partner throughout labor, birth, and for a few hours postpartum offering support, encouragement and ideas for comfort measures. Your doula will work as an advocate of your wishes and may assist in communicating with the medical staff so that you have adequate information for making informed decisions about your own medical care.

Your doula will not replace or sideline your partner, but will complement the important source of strength and love your partner provides. The experience that a doula brings into the birthing room adds a sense of calm, familiarity, and confidence to the subtle nuances of labor and the often intimidating and unfamiliar procedures of a hospital.

While childbirth is a physical and emotional journey for mothers, their partners also experience labor and birth as a unique and profound emotional experience. Your doula is there to support that process in both mother and partner. Studies have shown that a woman’s partner usually participates more actively during labor with the presence of a doula than without one. Your doula will encourage your partner’s support style rather than replacing it.


	History of the Doula “Doula” is a Greek word that refers to a woman personally serving another woman. Researchers who conducted randomized clinical trials on the medical outcomes of doula attended births adopted the term to describe the role of a birth doula when they found that having a non- medical woman supporting birthing women resulted in dramatically reduced rates of epidural use, forceps, pitocin augmentation and cesarean section (Klaus, Kennel, and Klaus 1993).
	“Childbirth has historically been a deeply entrenched social event in which women bonded as they shared a rite of passage. . . . The art of many cultures and centuries illustrating childbirth consistently depicts a laboring woman surrounded by women offering social support. . . . Strong scientific evidence supporting the benefits of continuous care by a doula during labor and delivery has been documented in many studies (Hospital Physician, September 2001 p. 57).”
	What is a Doula? Labor support doulas are trained, experienced women who attend to the emotional and physical comfort of laboring women in order to support and smooth the birthing process. A doula does not perform clinical tasks like checking blood pressure, performing vaginal exams, or assessing fetal well- being, but rather, she uses techniques like massage, positioning suggestions, aromatherapy, affirmation, and encouragement to help a laboring mother progress through childbirth as well as possible. Your labor support doula will join you either in your home, or at your hospital or birth center, at the onset of active labor; she will stay with you and your partner throughout labor, birth, and for a few hours postpartum offering support, encouragement and ideas for comfort measures. Your doula will work as an advocate of your wishes and may assist in communicating with the medical staff so that you have adequate information for making informed decisions about your own medical care. Your doula will not replace or sideline your partner, but will complement the important source of strength and love your partner provides. The experience that a doula brings into the birthing room adds a sense of calm, familiarity, and confidence to the subtle nuances of labor and the often intimidating and unfamiliar procedures of a hospital. While childbirth is a physical and emotional journey for mothers, their partners also experience labor and birth as a unique and profound emotional experience. Your doula is there to support that process in both mother and partner. Studies have shown that a woman’s partner usually participates more actively during labor with the presence of a doula than without one. Your doula will encourage your partner’s support style rather than replacing it.