What does doula mean?
Definitions for doula
ˈdu lədoula
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word doula.
Princeton's WordNet
labor coach, birthing coach, doula, monitricenoun
an assistant (often the father of the soon-to-be-born child) who provides support for a woman in labor by encouraging her to use techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes
Wiktionary
doulanoun
A support person, usually female, with no medical or midwifery training, who provides emotional assistance to a mother or pregnant couple before, during or after childbirth.
Etymology: Origin from δούλα.
Wikipedia
Doula
A doula () is a trained professional who provides expert guidance for the service of others and who supports another person (the doula's client) through a significant health-related experience, such as childbirth, miscarriage, induced abortion or stillbirth, as well as non-reproductive experiences such as dying. A doula may also provide support to the client's partner, family, and friends.The doula's goal and role is to help the client feel safe and comfortable, complementing the role of the healthcare professionals who provide the client's medical care. Unlike a physician, midwife, or nurse, a doula cannot administer medication or other medical treatment or give medical advice. An individual may need to complete training to work as a doula, although training and certification processes vary throughout the world.Some doulas work as volunteers; others are paid for their services by their client, medical institutions, or other private and public organizations. Doulas receive varying amounts of training, and their professionalism also varies.The contributions of doulas during reproductive experiences and end-of-life care have been studied and have been shown to benefit their clients. For example, a birth doula providing support during childbirth may increase likelihood of vaginal birth (rather than cesarean delivery), decrease the need for pain medication during labor, and improve the perception of the birthing experience.The benefits of a doula providing other types of support have been less well studied, but might improve a client's experience with medical care or help an individual cope with health transitions.
ChatGPT
doula
A doula is a trained non-medical professional who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother before, during, and after childbirth. Their role is to help women have a safe, memorable, and empowering birthing experience. They might also provide support during the postpartum period, helping the new family with infant care, breastfeeding guidance, and household duties.
Wikidata
Doula
A doula, is a nonmedical person who assists a woman before, during, or after childbirth, as well as her partner and/or family by providing information, physical assistance, and emotional support. The provision of continuous support during labour by doulas is associated with improved maternal and fetal health and a variety of other benefits. A variety of organizations offer certification and training to doulas, though there is no oversight to their practice and the title can be used by anyone. In contrast to the goal of medical professionals, the goal of a doula is to ensure the mother feels safe and confident before, during, and after delivery. Doulas can be controversial within medical settings due to pressure on mothers to avoid medical interventions and pursue natural childbirth without an epidural or medically necessary caesarean sections.
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Anagrams for doula »
aloud
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of doula in Chaldean Numerology is: 3
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of doula in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8
Examples of doula in a Sentence
It was the doula who kept her positive, the last few days, the doulas were there around the clock, which was really helpful for me.
I'm not sure I could have done that, the doula not only made my mom's life easier -- she made our lives easier, too.
If a doula hadn't been there, she might have been alone.
But also we recently started working in partnership with the Department of Health because our state has some maternal health equity issues …, and one of the things we thought would be good is to start training more people to serve as a doula because we saw a lot of women who came through were single moms and they had nobody.
To be honest, we weren't sure if an end-of-life doula would work for us, but we finally decided, what the heck, let's give it a shot.
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Translations for doula
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"doula." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 16 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/doula>.
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