doula

noun

dou·​la ˈdü-lə 

plural doulas

: a person trained to provide advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth

Research shows that childbirth does go more smoothly with a doula: labor is 25 percent shorter, the need for epidural pain relief is 60 percent less and the Caesarean section rate is reduced by half.

—Susan Gilbert

Examples of doula in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ezra is a doula who can see ghosts, and Jonathan is a widower mourning his late husband, Ben, who Ezra can inexplicably both see and hear, even though that definitely breaks ghost rules. —Audrey Goldberg Ruoff, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025

Now deep into season two, Folb says the show has tapped into a death doula’s expertise for an upcoming storyline. —Ingrid Schmidt, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025

Watch him discuss potentially becoming a death doula in the clip above. —Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025

Training doulas to spot the heat risks Another Florida nonprofit is taking the lead in protecting pregnant people from extreme heat by educating doulas on the health risks of exposure. —Jessica Meszaros, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Modern Greek, female helper, maidservant, from Greek doulē female slave

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for doula

• beulah
• chula
• gula
• hula
• kula
• ula
• betula
• blastula
• fistula
• radula
• regula
• scrofula

Medical Definition

doula

noun

dou·​la ˈdü-lə 

: a woman experienced in childbirth who provides advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth