North East Doula Services

A Doula is an experienced woman who helps other women, and their partners, during their pregnancy, labour and birth and for the first few months of parenthood. She provides physical, emotional, and informational support. 

Traditionally, the role of a doula would have been filled by the birthing woman’s mother, grandmother, sister, aunt etc. But in this modern age where we often live far away from our immediate family, this role has been lost. Women will often rely on the father of the child or a partner, who have little or no experience of birth, for this support. In asking fathers / partners to be the main support, our society may have created a very difficult expectation for them to meet. (it’s a bit like asking the father to play in a professional football game after attending a few lectures but without any real training or practice games!)

The doula role is designed to provide a nurturing, helpful, and objective female supporter so that the family member or birth partner chosen to be present does not have sole responsibility for the supporting the birthing mother. A doula is there to provide support not only to the birthing woman but also to support the father / partner, freeing them up to give the mother the loving care and attention that both she and the baby needs. The doula is there to encourage the father / partners to fully participate, not to usurp or interfere.

A doula provides continuity of care. Within the current NHS maternity system you will receive the care of many different midwives throughout your pregnancy and birth, and could find yourself being offered conflicting advice and labouring for long periods of time without support. This can be very unsettling, particularly for labouring women and as a consequence she could have a longer labour, need pain relieving drugs or other medical interventions. A doula is:

• there to be a sounding board for you in times of decision making.
• she is a source of information and can also signpost you to reliable information sources so you can make informed choices that are right for you.
• there for you during your birth, helping to fulfil your birth guide wishes, and providing you with a safe space for you to focus on your birth.

When a woman is calm, relaxed, and well supported during her birth, her body will release its own natural pain killers in the form of endorphins and oxytocin (the love hormone essential for effective contractions), allowing her body to do the job it was designed to do, and birth the baby. However, when a woman is interrupted (excessive monitoring, different people coming and going in the birthing room) or if she and/or her partner are fearful or anxious, her body then releases adrenaline, which will take blood away from where it is needed in the uterus, and send it to the arms and legs (fight or flight mode). This is natures way of keeping a birthing mother and her infant safe, we see it in the animal kingdom all the time, for example, the pet cat that finds the darkest corner of the airing cupboard to give birth in, but then moves to another equally dark and private place if she is disturbed. When a muscle is deprived of blood it starts to cramp. A high adrenaline / low oxytocin birth is more painful and labour is slower. A doula will be able to help maintain her oxytocin levels with her reassuring presence, and reduce the amount of adrenaline inducing situations by having clear and open communication with the care staff.

A doula is a reassuring and constant presence for both the mother and her partner.