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The word, Doula, comes from the Greek word for the most important female slave or servant in an ancient Greek household, the woman who probably helped the lady of the house through her childbearing. Doula, a word that refers to a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth.
Birth Doula
A birth doula helps women as they become mothers, for the first time or again, supporting women mentally, physically, emotionally and logistically during pregnancy, labor, childbirth and immediately after. A birth doula assists in preparing and carrying out birth plans, provide access to information about the physiology and experience of pregnancy and birth, and offer non-clinical advice and encouragement to women becoming mothers. Through active listening and by offering a consistently supportive perspective based on sound research and collective experience, a birth doula accompanies a woman as she develops and reinforces her own confidence, relaxation control and mental and logistical preparedness for the many demands that come with becoming a mother.
Postpartum Doula
A postpartum doula helps women as they begin to mother their newborn children, supporting women mentally, physically, emotionally and logistically during the long weeks after childbirth when the expanded family bonds and adjusts its routines to welcome its newest addition(s). Postpartum doulas assist in adjusting to life with newborns, provide access to information about newborn care and development, and offer non-clinical advice and encouragement through active listening and a consistently supportive perspective while accompanying a woman as she develops and reinforces her own confidence, relaxation control and mental and logistical preparedness for the many demands that come with mothering a new baby.
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