In Support of Doulas
Doulas have an especially important role in changing birth practices, both one birth at a time and as a presence in the larger birth movement. With the exception of a brave few, midwives have not been able to infiltrate the hospital system. Doulas are reaching many spaces in birth care that we cannot. Doulas help more women have good births and motherbaby needs them.
If a woman hires both a doula and midwife, it is really important that they work together to make sure the mother’s autonomy and needs are put first. It is often difficult to synchronize our care but it is a goal we need to reach for. It’s important to know early in the pregnancy if you have a hands-on doula and hands-off midwife attending the same birth. Midwives are accustomed to forming a strong relationship with a mom during her pregnancy and perhaps doulas need a prolonged relationship with moms as well. Birth is so much about relationships and motherbaby should always be the center of those relationships.
Being a doula is a great stepping stone and a rich profession of its own. Doulas’ enthusiasm for birth often leads them to midwifery, where their experience can compliment further education. In Europe I have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful doulas. Many of them have the desire to become a midwife but most of the schools they would have to attend are brutal. You do not become a loving birth practitioner through the brutal education that many countries have. We don’t need more cogs in the medicalization of birth. The education that doulas have gleaned put them in the best position to be the world’s next midwives. How can we help them?
— Jan Tritten, mother of Midwifery Today
Jan Tritten is the founder, editor in chief and mother of Midwifery Today magazine. She became a midwife in 1977 after the amazing homebirth of her second daughter. Her mission is to make loving midwifery care the norm for birthing women and their babies throughout the world. Meet Jan at our conferences around the world, or join her online, as she works to transform birth practices around the world.
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