The "Whats" and "Whys" of Doulas
As I continue to grow in my doula work I’m learning that so many people don’t truly understand 1) what a doula is and 2) why they need a doula. So I just wanted to have a quick discussion to help understand the importance of support workers*.
*I use support workers because often people consider doulas to be specifically and only for birth work. That’s incorrect and I think by framing them as support workers it allows people to automatically understand the roles of doulas in any setting.
So, let’s discuss what a doula is. A doula is a unlicensed support person. Meaning they aren’t medical or mental health professionals, although there are medical and mental health professionals that also do support work. Doulas support individuals and families and groups through the transitions of life, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, death, sex relationships, and so much more. In one of my trainings someone mentioned having a tech doula! While there isn’t a specific licensing process for becoming a doula, some programs offer certification, but certification isn’t necessary to becoming a doula. In my opinion certification is for easing the minds of people in search of support, there’s something that makes it feel like your support worker is more knowledgeable if they are certified. That’s valid. I would like to add, that there are lots of folks that come to work because that’s their lineage. Meaning, they learned it from their family or someone close to them. It’s something they’ve been doing (most likely) from a. young age. And their experience is more apprentice based vs paying for education (like me). Both are valid. Some of us are picking up where our ancestors likely left off (me) and some of us are simply continuing a long legacy. And often times we find that many folks that become support workers, have been doing it long before they had a name for it, and that type of person falls into either category, I’m one of those people. I also feel that certification is also a way to control support work much like midwifery and doula work was deemed unsafe once they decided they didn’t want Black folks profiting off the work and serving their communities. That’s why doulas and midwives feel so foreign to most folks, specifically in the US. More than being concerned with certifications, I’d look at what kind of experience you’re trying to gain from hiring a doula. Are you looking for a more holistic approach, a more informed approach, a spiritual approach, a faith based approach, etc., often times you’ll find these approaches overlapping once you find the correct doula for you. Ultimately, I’d interview lots of doulas a see who’s the best fit.
So WHY do you need a doula? A lot of people may not feel like having a doula is really necessary. I think that’s because we live in a society that doesn’t really value support and so it’s hard to process what that looks like and why you need that. Living in a capitalist society means we’re supposed to keep grinding a way no matter how we feel or what we need as individuals as long as we can keep things going. That is not sustainable, for anyone. Not wanting to ask for support is a trauma response. Being afraid to be vulnerable enough to ask for help, even though you know you need it, is a trauma response. Working/ pushing/ etc without recovery time is a trauma response. That is why making major life transitions is so difficult and, often times, traumatizing for so many of us. So you may need a doula if:
You’re experiencing a major life transition/ event (pregnancy, birth, loss, injury, major physical move, etc.)
You often feel uninformed or overwhelmed when it comes to change
You like to be informed when you make major decisions
You like to be prepared when you make major decisions
You experience anxiety, depression, etc. and you’re going through a transition
You don’t experience anxiety, depression, etc. and you want to keep it that way
You are a marginalized person (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, fat, mental health, disabled, etc)
You’re low income and don’t have access to adequate support through transitions
You do have access to adequate support through transitions and want to optimize that
You’re recovering from any sort of trauma
You’ve had unfavorable experiences within the health care system/ society
You’re looking for a more YOU centered transition
You want to be pampered
You want care beyond what your health care professionals/ family/ community can offer you
You want judgement free support during transitions
You want to learn accessible and realistic ways to do self care that is truly nourishing to your spirit and body
You’ve had an unexpected transition (unplanned pregnancy, pregnancy loss, unplanned surgical birth, sudden loss of loved one, etc.)
You’re supporting someone else through a transition
You’re worried about going to licensed professionals for support for fear they call child protective services, etc.
You don’t have enough community to support you during transitions
You have too much community to support you during transitions and it’s overwhelming
I’m sure this list could go on for days. Doula support isn’t simply about helping someone through a labor. It’s truly an opportunity to learn about and experience what community care can and should look like. It’s an opportunity transform the ways in which we approach major changes and occurences that naturally happen through life. And if you get the right doula it’s like having your best friend, a loving parent/ sibling/ cousin/ auntie, etc by your side. Get the right doula and it’ll be a relationship that extends way beyond this current experience.