A Doula's Story (Young Feminists) (Column‪)‬

Last year, I started my senior year at Oregon State University without a firm decision about what to do next, after graduation. A professor suggested that I get training to help me decide whether or not I was cut out for the life of a practitioner, a path I had always wanted to explore but wasn't sure it would be right for me. That summer, I decided to follow this professor's advice and become trained as a doula. A "doula" is a trained birth coach who supports the woman and her partner before, during, and after their child's birth. Doulas are like having a personal childbirth educator and labor coach. They provide the expecting couple with all their options for labor and delivery, but, unlike a midwife or an OB/GYN, they do not give medical advice and are not trained to take vital signs or actually catch the baby. To become a birth doula, I enrolled in DONA International's training workshop; this organization is one of the oldest and most established non-profit organizations training doulas to support women and their partners in having satisfying childbirth and postpartum experiences. The four-day workshop included training on anatomy and childbirth; the doula's role with the couple; and natural coping methods like massage, aromatherapy, and water therapy.