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
Susan GilbertExamples of doula in a Sentence
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Gabrielle Gatto, a death doula and manager of public programs at Green-Wood, says the option allows people to reflect their values, even after life.
—Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Jean says the first performance of Black Divas functioned as a benefit, raising funds for Delivering Unto You, a local doula and parent-support education program founded by Black doula Janice Goodwin (formerly Denise Washington).
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
The Breastfeeding Network works to decrease the Black maternal and infant mortality rate in Milwaukee, including by training doulas to support people of color through their pregnancies and births.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Franciscan to host doula workshop Franciscan Health Crown Point is hosting a DONA International Birth Doula workshop over two weekends in February and March, according to a release.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
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Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Jean says the first performance of Black Divas functioned as a benefit, raising funds for Delivering Unto You, a local doula and parent-support education program founded by Black doula Janice Goodwin (formerly Denise Washington).
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
The Breastfeeding Network works to decrease the Black maternal and infant mortality rate in Milwaukee, including by training doulas to support people of color through their pregnancies and births.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Franciscan to host doula workshop Franciscan Health Crown Point is hosting a DONA International Birth Doula workshop over two weekends in February and March, according to a release.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for doula
Cite this Entry
“Doula.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doula. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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