World Doula Week: Celebrating the Impact of Doulas

Today begins the celebratory week of Doulas, World Doula Week~ March 22nd through March 28th. This week has become a time for reflection on how I came to know this work and how it has changed me as a caregiver and a person.

If you don’t know what a doula is, well, I’ll just start by telling you what they don’t do: deliver babies! 'If you know, you know.' If you’re a doula, you’ve likely been asked this.

What we do is support the mother from the time of conception to delivery, through postpartum, and often through the baby’s first year of life. In the Greek language, doula means a woman who serves.

We serve the mother during a time when talk of the baby might feel like it silences her inner voice, telling her to reach out for extra love and tenderness. We serve her because often we’ve felt times in our own womanhood/motherhood journey when we’ve desired this level of support, a listening ear, and a calming essence. Someone to validate our feelings and not pass judgment.

It's worth noting that there are different types of doulas, including birth doulas, postpartum doulas, bereavement doulas, and my intent for this post is to celebrate the role of doulas in supporting mothers through birth, postpartum experiences, identity shifts, and times of loss.

If you’re a doula and you’ve loved and cried tears of joy and empathy throughout your journey, I see you, because I’m doula’ing right along with you. Happy World Doula Week!!

Comments

Calm in the Chaos: A Guide to a Restful Postpartum Experience

As a postpartum doula, I get asked a lot of questions about what we do. I've shared a lot about the role of a postpartum doula in my other blog posts, so I'll give you the shortened version. We're often referred to as baby whisperers, but really, we are mother-focused. We are there to support the whole family as they welcome new life, but our priorities lie in mothering the mother during a time when so much revolves around the baby. Sure, we provide expert newborn care, but we are also there to make sure mom's resting, comfortable, and staying nourished so that she can properly heal the baby-sized wound in her belly. In our 'hustle and bustle' society, there's been a message circulating, that's left many women with the impression that they should bounce back as quickly as possible after having their baby. Well, I'm here to spread another message. You can have a slow and restful postpartum that doesn't involve you losing out at...

Celebrating World Doula Week: A Journey of Serving and Supporting Mothers

Long before I knew what a doula was, I had the heart of one. For fifteen years, I’ve been part of a close-knit group of friends that embodies support, love, and sisterhood. My passion for supporting women and admiring mothers began early. At twelve, I became a certified babysitter, and by sixteen, I was caring for babies in my church nursery. My love for babies and mothers wasn’t just a passing phase. Shortly after becoming a mother myself, I discovered the beautiful Greek definition of a doula: "a woman who serves." I felt called to this role and knew I had found my dream job. For the past decade, I’ve had the incredible privilege of serving as a postpartum doula. Each day brings the joy of supporting mothers through their transformative journey into motherhood and breastfeeding. It’s more than a job—it’s a sacred mission of care, compassion, and community. Where Do We Serve? Doulas are everywhere-in hospitals, birthing centers, homes, and communities. We support mothe...

What a Postpartum Doula Does Not Do: Understanding the Boundaries of Postpartum Support

Hiring a postpartum doula can be such a helpful step when you're adjusting to life with a new baby. Doulas offer nurturing, hands-on support during a big life transition – but there can be some confusion about what we actually do (and don’t do). Understanding where our role begins and ends can help you get the most out of the support we offer. We’re Not Medical Professionals Postpartum doulas provide amazing emotional and practical support, but we’re not medical providers. That means: – We can’t give medical advice or diagnoses – We don’t prescribe medications – We’re not a substitute for your doctor or midwife – We don’t make medical decisions for you or your baby We do keep an eye out for things that might need medical attention and will always encourage you to check in with your provider if something doesn’t seem right. We’re Not House Cleaners We help keep your space feeling calm and manageable, but deep cleaning isn’t in our job description. That means: – We don’t ...

Newby Nurturing Lactation & Postpartum Support

Search This Blog