doula

noun dou·la \ ˈdü-lə \

|Updated on: 5 Jun 2018

Definition of doula

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

See doula defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of doula from the Web

It was posted on social media by Flor Cruz, a doula who runs the Instagram account @badassmotherbirther.

— blake bakkila, Health.com, "You Have to See This Viral Video of a Woman Standing Up While Giving Birth to Her Fifth Child," 23 May 2018
Last year, the group also released a statement in support of using doulas — trained birth assistants — during pregnancy and childbirth.

— NBC News, "How training doctors in implicit bias could save the lives of black mothers," 11 May 2018
In a filmed conversation, Williams goes through her birth options with Caroline Bahadourian, her doula.

— sarah jacoby, SELF, "Serena Williams Reveals More Terrifying Details of Her Labor: ‘It Was a Whole New Kind of Fear’," 2 May 2018
Rivera-Clemente, the Austin mother of three whose OB appointments left her wondering whether she was viewed differently because of her race, is training to be a doula through Healing Hands.

— NBC News, "How training doctors in implicit bias could save the lives of black mothers," 11 May 2018
Meyers, Ashe, and their doula were prepared for a short labor.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Seth Meyers’s Wife Gave Birth to Second Son in the Lobby of Their Building," 10 Apr. 2018
On the Side of the Road In March 2018, mom-to-be Alyssa Lightner had her doula pull over her truck to deliver her baby.

— grace gavilanes, PEOPLE.com, "The Weirdest Places Real Moms Have Given Birth, from a Walmart Parking Lot to a Wendy's," 10 Apr. 2018
McMahon is well known in the birthing and doula community, victims told police.

— laurel andrews, Anchorage Daily News, "How police say an Anchorage woman faked her pregnancy and newborn deaths," 9 Mar. 2018
Kelly chose Sophia Williams, a doula, midwife and photographer, for a more traditional maternity photo session with her 2-year-old daughter, Sullivan, and husband, Brendon, as well as photographing the birth itself.

— tony bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, "Baby bump shoots, popularized by Beyoncé, are big with Bay Area moms," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'doula.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of doula

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1969

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

DOULA Defined for English Language Learners

doula

noun

Definition of doula for English Language Learners

medical : a woman whose job is to give advice and comfort to a woman who is giving birth

Medical Dictionary

doula

noun dou·la \ ˈdü-lə \

medical Definition of doula

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