Whats a Doula?

A doula is a trained support professional who provides continuous, non-clinical care (emotional, physical, and informational) during pregnancy, labor, and the early postpartum period. Unlike midwives or clinicians, doulas don’t perform medical tasks; they focus on comfort measures (e.g., position changes, massage), advocacy, and helping you navigate choices with your care team. 

The most comprehensive evidence on “continuous labor support” (which includes doulas, midwives, or trained companions) shows meaningful benefits: higher chance of spontaneous vaginal birth, lower use of pain medications including epidurals, shorter labors, and fewer cesarean births—without harms. These findings come from a major Cochrane review of 26 trials across varied settings. 

OBGYN guidance encourages continuous support for people with normally progressing labors; ACOG explicitly notes that continuous labor support—such as from a doula—is one of the most effective tools to improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary interventions.