What Is a Doula? Understanding the Role of Non-Clinical Support in Birth

What Is a Doula?

The case for continuous, non-clinical support in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum

A doula is a trained, non-clinical professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support throughout pregnancy, labor, and the early postpartum period. Unlike a midwife or OB-GYN, a doula doesn’t offer medical care. Instead, we complement the clinical team by attending to the human experience of birth: your agency, your history, your sense of comfort and safety, and your ability to stay connected to your body and your choices.

What the research says

A 2017 Cochrane study found that continuous support during labor, especially from someone like a doula, who is not part of the hospital staff and not personally connected to the birthing person, led to:

• A 39% decrease in the likelihood of cesarean birth

• A 15% increase in spontaneous vaginal birth

• A 10% decrease in the use of any pain medication

• Shorter labors by an average of 41 minutes

• Significantly higher satisfaction with the birth experience

(Bohren et al., “Continuous support for women during childbirth,” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017)

These findings are echoed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the World Health Organization (WHO), both of which recommend continuous labor support as a strategy to improve outcomes and experience.

What does doula support look like?

As a doula, my support is flexible and relational. It might include:

• Meeting in the third trimester to explore your preferences, concerns, and birth values

• Offering evidence-based information so you can make informed decisions

• Providing practical help to reduce the mental load associated with pregnancy, birth, and postpartum

• Supporting your birth partner in feeling prepared, calm, and involved

• Providing comfort measures like massage, breathwork, and counter-pressure

• Staying by your side throughout labor, without shift changes or time limits

• Helping you process your birth story during the postpartum period

Sometimes support looks like hands-on care. Other times, it means being present and acting as the buffer between the birthing person’s experience and the clinical chaos going on around them. My job is not to direct your experience, but to help protect your ability to move through it with steadiness and self-trust.

Who I work with

At Berlin Birth Doula, I support families in a range of circumstances. I work with:

• Expats giving birth far from home

• Refugees and displaced people navigating unfamiliar systems

• First-time parents

• Queer families

• Single parents

• Anyone seeking care that is emotionally attuned and culturally aware

  
  

I offer services predominantly in English, with a strong and moderate grasp on German and Farsi, respectively. I am also committed to access and inclusion, including sliding scale options for families navigating systemic barriers to respectful care.

Why this matters

Birth is a major physiological and emotional transition. Medical care ensures clinical safety. Doula care protects your sense of agency, dignity, and connection.

We know that people who feel supported during birth often describe it as empowering, even when the unexpected happens. My job is not to eliminate uncertainty. It is to help you feel prepared, witnessed, and supported through it.

If you’re pregnant and wondering what support might look like, I’d be honored to talk with you. Birth deserves more than monitoring; you deserve care that is continuous, respectful, and responsive.