Doulas have become an essential part of many families’ support systems, from pregnancy right on through postpartum. But if you're a little fuzzy on what doulas actually do, you’re not alone.
A doula is a trained, non-medical professional who supports women and families throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. The word "doula" comes from ancient Greek, meaning "a woman who serves” and it was coined in the 1960s in the perinatal context by anthropologist Dr. Dana Raphael.
Doulas provide continuous emotional, physical, and informational support. They are not medical providers—rather, they work alongside your doctor or midwife, and other members of the medical team. Their focus is on your emotional and mental experience of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. They are there for your comfort, well-being, and to make sure you understand all of your options for your care. One big benefit of doulas is that they provide continuous one-on-one support that busy clinical staff (like nurses) cannot provide. That means that one provider stays with you throughout your labor and birth and generally do not change shifts.
Types of Doulas
Birth Doula
Birth doulas support pregnant people and their partners before, during, and after birth. They help the family with birth preparation and education about childbirth (like creating a birth plan) and also provide important support during labor like physical comfort (massage, breathing, positioning) and advocacy in the labor room (like helping you understand your options and communicate with your care team). Generally, birth doulas stay for 1-2 hours after you've given birth and also do 1-2 visits at your home after you've had the baby.
Postpartum Doula
Postpartum doulas are experts in the fourth trimester (or the first three months after birth): they provide emotional, mental, physical, and informational support to new families during the weeks and months immediately following birth. This can look many different ways, depending on your needs and preferences, but usually involves help with newborn care (like feeding, swaddling, bathing, sleep routines and more) assistance with infant feeding, including breastfeeding; light household support, and overall support helping your family adjust to life with a new baby. Postpartum doula support usually happens at your own home.
Full-Spectrum Doula
Full-spectrum doulas are doulas who support people throughout the reproductive cycle and through any outcome of reproduction, including loss. A full-spectrum doula is trained to provide both birth and postpartum support, which means they can work with you throughout pregnancy, birth, and the fourth trimester. Someone who is both a birth and postpartum doula can provide continuity of care for your family during the transition to parenthood.
Other Types of Doulas
There are other types of doulas too, including loss doulas (doulas who support families through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss), fertility doulas (doulas who support people during the conception process, including assisted reproduction like IVF), adoption doulas, and more.
Death doulas or end-of-life doulas are another specialty within doula work, although this type is different than birth work. Death doulas support people and families at the end of life, whether someone is terminally ill or simply coming to the end of their natural life.
What Does a Doula Do?
Before Birth (Prenatal Support)
Your doula will build a relationship with you to get to know you as a person and parent. Typically, this happens through prenatal appointments (typically at least one or two) and phone and text communication. When you meet before birth, you doula will help you think through your preferences for birth, including pain management, birth positions, interventions, and more, and create a birth plan with you. They will also educate you about labor, including the stages of labor, what to expect, and what your options are. Doulas will include your partner in all of these plans and conversations, helping them envision their role in the birth and how they can best support you.
Another benefit? Doulas can provide many resources and recommendations for your pregnancy, like the best prenatal massage therapist in your area or a book that will help prepare you for birth.
During Labor and Delivery
During your labor and birth, a doula provides continuous one-on-one support from early labor through birth. This means that your doula will not leave or change shifts. Doulas can join you at your house and then travel with you to your intended birth place, whether that is a hospital or birth center, or meet you at your intended birth place.
Doula support during birth can look like:
- Physical comfort: massage, counter-pressure on back/hips, position changes, breathing coaching, use of a birth ball, warm compresses, help with hydrotherapy (shower or bath)
- Emotional support: calm presence, encouragement, reassurance, mantras, helping you stay focused
- Advocacy: helps you communicate preferences to nurses and doctors, helps you understand what is going on, as well as your options so you can make informed decisions
- Partner support: coaches your partner on how to help, gives them breaks when needed, ensures they feel included
Doulas support all births, including medicated, unmedicated, Cesarean birth (planned or unplanned), inductions, and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBACs). Usually, your doula will stay with you for 1-2 hours after birth to assist with initial breastfeeding latch and your recovery.
After Birth (Postpartum Support)
Birth doulas do provide some postpartum support, usually one or two visits specifically to help process the birth, check in on your recovery, answer questions, and provide general help. They are also available by phone and text for all the little things that may come up, like feeding questions.
Postpartum doulas are dedicated to the postpartum period, so their support after birth is more comprehensive. They come to your home to provide ongoing support with anything you may need to adjust to life with a new baby. This includes general infant care, breast and bottle feeding support, light household help (like washing dishes and pump parts), as well as supporting your emotional well-being. Postpartum doulas work both during the day and at night. Overnight care means the doula cares for the baby while the parents get some sleep.
Both birth and postpartum doulas support you as you transition to parenthood: answering your questions, helping you find resources that are right for your situation, and generally helping you all the big feelings that come with parenting a newborn. Both kinds of doulas are trained to recognize postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (also known as PMADs) and can connect you with professional mental health support.
What a Doula Does Not Do
Doulas are not medical caregivers. They cannot and do not diagnose or treat medical conditions. Doulas do not replace the role of a midwife or a physician—they complement that care as a member of the overall team. This means they don’t do any clinical or medical tasks (like checking your cervix, taking your blood pressure, or monitoring your baby).
Even if a doula has a clinical background (like training as a nurse), when they are acting as a doula, they will stay withing their scope of practice, doing only non-clinical support.
Benefits of Having a Doula
You may have heard how great having a doula is from your cousin or your best friend, but the benefits of doula support aren’t just anecdotal. Research backs up the benefits of doula care in a very real way.
Lowered Risk of Cesarean Birth
One of the most significant benefits associated with doula care is that having a doula is associated with a lower rate of Cesarean birth. Specifically, a large review that combined results from 8 clinical studies found that doula-supported women were roughly 29% less likely to have a C-section than women who did not have a doula. Another study, looking at over 17,000 births, found that women who had doula support were more likely to have a vaginal birth, including women who had previously had a C-section.
Breastfeeding
Doula support is associated with higher numbers of both breastfeeding initiation and breastfeeding success overall. Babies born to doula-supported families were 20% more likely to be exclusively breastfed in one study. A randomized trial of community doula home visiting with young African American mothers found that doula-group mothers attempted breastfeeding at significantly higher rates (64% vs 50%) and were more likely to breastfeed beyond 6 weeks (29% vs 17%).
Greater Satisfaction with the Birth Process
Maternal satisfaction with the birth experience is associated with doula support, too. The 2017 Cochrane review of continuous labor support found that women receiving support had reduced negative feelings and ratings about the birthing experience. In addition, in a 1999 randomized trial, it was found that women who had doulas with them during birth were more likely to report their births as good and feel they coped very well with labor.
Emotional Outcomes and Mental Health
A major 2026 research review looked at clinical trials studying doula care and found that reducing anxiety during labor and birth was one of the clearest and most consistent benefits. Plus, another large study found that women who had doula support were about 58% less likely to be diagnosed with postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety compared to women without a doula.
Other Benefits and Outcomes of Doula Care
Doula care is also associated with having a shorter labor, a lower chance of use of forceps or vacuum during birth, as well as lower levels of preterm birth and NICU admissions for babies.
How Much Does a Doula Cost?
Doula care ranges in cost, depending on location, experience, and the level of care provided. Doulas who are newer may charge less, while very experienced doulas may charge more. Many doulas offer payment plans or sliding scale to make their services affordable for a wider range of families. Generally, birth doulas range from about $500-$2500. Postpartum doulas work on an hourly basis, ranging from $20-$50 an hour.
Medicaid now covers doula care in 27 states, including Illinois, and many commercial insurance plans are starting to cover doulas, too. Partum Health accepts Medicaid for doula care in Illinois.
How to Find the Right Doula
There is a doula out there for everyone. No matter your preferences, goals, background, or situation, you can find a doula who will help support you in the way you want to be supported. While there’s a common misconception that doulas are only for families who prefer unmedicated birth, the truth is that doulas support every kind of parent and every kind of birth, across the spectrum.
To find the doula that’s right for you, start with your local community. Ask friends and family for referrals, as well as your OB or midwife. You can also check out doula directories online, like DoulaMatch, or state-specific Medicaid doula directories.
Interview a few doulas before choosing one. Be sure to ask about everything that’s important to you, including the doula’s training, experience, philosophy, availability, and backup plans. If you are planning a VBAC, for example, you may want to know if the doula has experience with VBAC mothers. Or you may ask if the doula has experience with anything else that matters to you, like high-risk pregnancies, twins or multiples, or even if they share your language or cultural background . Above all, you should feel comfortable with the doula and want them by your side during the big moments of labor, birth, and postpartum.
Doula Training and Certification
Doulas are trained through doula-specific organizations, like DONA International, CAPPA, Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings, and others. Training typically involves hands-on learning of comfort measures for labor, as well as childbirth education, emotional support, lactation, professional ethics, and more. These training sessions may happen online or in person. To become certified, doulas will generally need to attend a required number of births or support a required number of postpartum families, then submit required evaluations.
Certification is not legally required to work as a doula in any state. Still, many families and other professionals prefer working with doulas who are certified. States that allow for Medicaid reimbursement will have specific requirements for doulas to be able to bill Medicaid.
Partum Health's EMBRACE doula training is designed by a board-certified OB-GYN, Dr. Melissa Dennis, in collaboration with experienced doulas. It is approved by the State of Illinois for Medicaid doula certification.
Frequently Asked Questions About Doulas
Can I have a doula if I want an epidural?
Yes! Doulas support every birth experience, including those where mothers or parents choose epidurals or other pain medication. Doula support is still vital if you have an epidural, as a key component of what doulas do is provide emotional, mental, and informational support. Plus, doulas can help you decide when to get an epidural, provide comfort during the process, and help with positioning once an epidural is in place.
Will a doula replace my partner?
No, a doula is a support and complement to your partner (or other people who may be at your birth, like family members or friends). Doulas do a lot to help your partner feel comfortable and confident in the birth space, coaching them on giving you physical support, emotional support and more. Doulas can also provide the opportunity for your partner to take a break during labor, if they need to step out to use the bathroom or grab a snack.
Do I need a doula if I have a midwife?
You may decide to hire a doula even if you have a midwife! Doulas can complement midwifery care really well, but it is important to understand that doulas and midwives are two separate roles that provide different types of care. A midwife provides medical care, like checking your blood pressure and evaluating the health of you and your baby. A doula provides continuous emotional and physical support, like helping you change positions and ask questions of your medical providers.
Can I have a doula for a C-section?
Yes! Doulas support all births, including planned and unplanned Cesareans. They can help you be prepared in the event of a Cesarean birth (including thinking through your options, like immediate skin-to-skin). Doulas can also be present in the operating room (check on your hospital’s policy and advocate for your doula in the OR if this is something that’s important to you), provide emotional support, help with and breastfeeding after birth, and assist and advise in your recovery.
When should I hire a doula?
As soon as you know you want one! Doulas can support you through the entire pregnancy. It is most typical to hire a birth doula sometime in the second trimester. This is so you can build a relationship and prepare for birth together. Postpartum doulas can be hired either before or after birth, but it’s ideal to hire one before birth, because early booking means more doulas will be available and you can prioritize finding the right fit.
Are doulas only for first-time parents?
Doulas support parents through every birth, whether it's their first or fifth. Experienced parents often hire doulas for different reasons: maybe they had a wonderful experience with a doula the first time and want to keep it going, or perhaps this time they want a different birth or postpartum experience.
Do hospitals allow doulas?
Most hospitals welcome doulas. Doulas are trained to work side-by-side by hospital medical professionals like nurses, doctors, and midwives. Some hospitals may limit the number of support people in the room, including a doula, so check with your specific hospital if that is their policy.
At Partum Health, we match families with vetted, experienced birth and postpartum doulas in Chicago, Houston, Dallas, and Detroit. Our doula care is FSA/HSA eligible, and Medicaid-covered in Illinois.
Carrie Murphy is writer, mother, doula, poet, herbalist, and advocate. Body literacy, body autonomy, and reproductive justice inform all of her work in the world—from her writing to her support of pregnant, birthing, and postpartum people. She believes that all people should have access to knowledge, tools, and support in order to live healthy lives and make informed decisions.
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