What is a doula?
It’s a funny-sounding word that means so much!
One of the top questions I get is: “well, what is a doula?” And I’m always happy to answer that question because I think more folks should know what a doula is and what we do. Our jobs are truly to make your birth and postpartum time less scary and confusing, and to make you feel more prepared, empowered and supported. Everyone can benefit from a doula!
Here’s the doula definition for you: a doula is a trained professional who provides physical, emotional, and informational support to families during their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum time. We are not medically-trained, so we do not give advice in that realm. Some doulas are for pregnancy and birth, and some doulas support you in the time directly after birth (otherwise known as your postpartum time or sometimes called “the 4th trimester”).
Let’s take a look at these two types of doulas:
Birth doulas
Birth doulas will start working with you anytime during your pregnancy. Honestly, we get hired for this service from as soon as someone gets a positive pregnancy test all the way up until a few weeks before someone’s estimated due date. However, my advice is to hire your birth doulas as soon as you can for two reasons:
You get more value out of your doula the sooner you hire us.
You get to build a deeper relationship with your doula if you have longer to work with us. Relationship-building is a key component to how we do our work, and it’s so lovely to have that rich connection with your doula before your birth.
Birth doulas bring so much support to your pregnancy and birth, so let’s look at how they do that:
Birth doulas are educators: while we encourage all families to take a comprehensive childbirth class in addition to hiring a doula, your doula will also be an invaluable source of evidence-based information for you. If you are looking for more info on any topic, your doula can provide that for you!
Birth doulas are facilitators: we love facilitating good conversations between you and your partner, between you and your care provider, and on the day of your birth, between you and your care team at your birth place. We know that birth works best when everyone is communicating well and on the same page. We help you to think through those conversations ahead of time, and in the moment, we help you remember the right questions to ask.
Birth doulas are advocates: we are really great at advocating for our clients’ needs in their birth spaces. We will never speak for you, yet we will make sure your voice is heard. Noticing and naming are two of the ways we do this, and we will always check in with you to make sure your wishes are being carried out. Sometimes our doulas will see things that you don’t see, and we will make sure to bring them to your attention.
Birth doulas have resources: we have So. Many. Resources! From local resources for pelvic floor physical therapy to great chiropractors to the best lactation specialists, we’ve got you covered. Your doula will also be a fantastic resource for any birth, pregnancy or baby topic you can think of, and can help you decide on things like what goes on your baby registry to what items you really need in your postpartum recovery time. I like to say that we are better than Google, and I stand by that!
Birth doulas have knowledge about birth: this seems like a no-brainer, but it’s true! When everything you learned in your childbirth class goes out to the window, your doula will be right there with their knowledge of comfort measures, positions changes, when is the best time for pain medication, what is this intervention that my care provider is suggesting, etc. Having a birth doula in the room is an invaluable support for partners and family members, too.
One of our amazing birth doulas, Elizabeth McGuire with a happy client!
Now, let’s look at what postpartum doulas do:
Postpartum doulas
Postpartum doulas are helpers: Right after you have a baby, what you need most is to rest, feed yourself and feed your baby. Postpartum doulas can help with all of that! They can also tidy up your house, do a load of baby laundry, and be a great listening ear for you if you want.
Postpartum doulas are baby whisperers: Postpartum doulas know all the tips to help your baby with sleeping, expelling gas/pooping, and soothing. Let them teach you their ways! They are happy to do it.
Postpartum doulas are educators: Want to know how to do baby-wearing? Want to learn how to set up your pump? Postpartum doulas know all of this and more! They are happy to educate you on all things baby like: when can you expect that first growth spurt? What is tummy time and when should I start it? They are also knowledgeable about the basics of breastfeeding/chestfeeding, and can be an invaluable help to you with that.
Postpartum doulas have resources: So. Many. Resources! Just like birth doulas, postpartum doulas have all of the evidence-based resources for you and can get you connected with all of our favorite local resources and services. Remember, we are better than Google! (still standing by that!)
Postpartum doulas have knowledge about babies and recently-postpartum folks: Having a postpartum doula in your house is like having your own expert to answer all of your questions. The number one question we get is: “Is this normal?” They are happy to tell you when it is normal and will be the first to suggest you call your care provider if they think it’s needed.
Click to learn more about EJ Jones, one of our fantastic doulas!
And I want to point out some advantages to having our postpartum doulas come support you at night:
overnight postpartum doulas
Night nanny/night nurse/postpartum doula: what’s the difference? Well, it’s 3 names for the same thing. Our overnight postpartum doulas will be happy to take care of your baby through the night while you catch up on some much-needed sleep.
Your overnight postpartum doula can do a few of those household tasks I mentioned above at the start of their shift, but once everyone is in bed, they will be keeping the house quiet so that everyone can sleep.
Your overnight postpartum doula will be feeding and taking care of your baby through the night. If you are nursing, you will come up with a feeding plan that maximizes your sleep. Let the doula take care of burping, changing and getting your baby back to sleep for you!
Overnight postpartum doulas are magic! If you don’t believe me, look at our testimonies from rested & happy clients!
I hope you now have a clearer sense of what a doula is and what we do. If you are ready to hire a birth doula or postpartum doula in the Nashville area, fill out our intake form and schedule a call with me today. Our service area extends about 30 miles in all directions from downtown Nashville, but we do make exceptions sometimes if you live a bit farther out. Give us a call and let’s chat soon!
Click the photo to learn more about hiring the amazing Kelsie Craig as your doula!
We would love to help support you in your birthing year! I think we have the best birth doulas and postpartum doulas in Nashville, but I’m biased :-) Check out our Google reviews to see what our clients are saying about our services and the value we bring to your experience.