What is a Birth Doula?

Cover image: photo credits – F&G Photography

Firstly, it is very important to say – WE LOVE LOVE LOVE MIDWIVES!

As part of our Birth Rights Awareness Campaign, “Have a Choice 2 Have a Doula” at the Luxmama Club & ParentPrep asbl, we are interviewing Birth Doulas and other birth workers in our community to help illustrate the very well-studied benefits that continuous, known, exclusive, non-medical labour companions bring to the birth experience AS COMPLEMENT TO THE VERY IMPORTANT MEDICAL TEAM (MIDWIFE AND OBSTETRICIAN IN LUXEMBOURG).

Our approach is to raise awareness at the level of the strongest voice collectively, the consumers. It is key that consumers understand their Human Rights in Childbirth which underlines their right to “choose the circumstances of birth” according to their individual wishes, regardless of what care providers may claim – e.g. “ you will only be ‘allowed’ 1 support person (e.g. the birthing person’s partner ) in the birth room”.

Read more here about our campaign, your rights, how to hire a Doula and more! Let’s make it happen Luxembourg!

IMPORTANT: We want to emphasise that WE LOVE MIDWIVES and the work they do but families (just like in more than 50 countries worldwide already) deserve to choose the evidence-based benefits from continuous, uninterrupted 1-on-1 labour-support from a person pre-chosen by them aka a continuous labour companion as complement to the important medical team. Likewise, families ALSO deserve the choice to be cared for by an autonomous, traditionally trained midwife in pregnancy & birth (versus only obstetric-led in Luxembourg) as midwives trained according to international standards are THE experts in natural birth for healthy low-risk women. Please refer to another one of our birth rights awareness campaigns #choice2haveamidwife

Click the image below for the 44 min video:

Why would I need a Birth Doula if my partner is there?

Please refer to a previous article here where we address this common question.

What is the difference between a midwife and Birth Doula, why would I need both?

Please refer to our main webpage here for #choice2haveadoula, under the section “What doulas don’t do” (scroll down)

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More about the Author

Mother of 2 children born in Luxembourg, Holistic Maternity Coach/Educator, Marise Hyman supports families holistically towards an empowered pregnancy, birth & parenthood journey through Marise Hyman Maternity Coaching – setting them up for heart-centered connection, so they can move from confusion to confidence. She understands that we need to “heal birth to heal the earth” and is therefore also a passionate Birth Advocate and founder of the Luxmama Club & ParentPrep asbl, an NGO raising awareness for birth rights, perinatal mental health and green parenting. She’s a highly sensitive person (HSP), personal development junkie and sucker for slapstick comedy.