• Celebrity
    • Cardi B and Offset Cover
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
  • Fashion
    • Digital Cover – Method Man
    • Digital Cover – Zazie Beetz
    • Fashion News
    • Fashion House 2021
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO® Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • MAYBELLINE: FIT ME MATTE + PORELESS
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Build Your Legacy
    • Prudential – Dream & Plan with Confidence
    • Black History Month
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Lifestyle News
    • Coronavirus: Everything You Need to Know
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
    • Currency Conversations
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
  • Festival
  • Events
    • Road to Festival
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • Entrepreneur Summit 2021
    • Wellness House
    • VAX & VIBES Louisiana
    • Girls United Summit 2021
    • She Got Now
    • Fashion House 2021
    • GU Back To School
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • WELLNESS HOUSE: YEAR OF RENEWAL
    • Power Tools
    • Making Moves Now: Virtual Bootcamp
    • #EF SESSIONS
    • Cares Act
    • News & Announcements
  • Essence Studios
  • Girls United
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters

WHERE BLACK WOMEN COME FIRST

Every day we're serving Black women deeply. Come get a plate of goodness! Sign up for daily content and exclusive offers you'll love!

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and that you have read our Privacy Policy
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Cardi B and Offset Cover
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
  • Fashion
    • Digital Cover – Method Man
    • Digital Cover – Zazie Beetz
    • Fashion News
    • Fashion House 2021
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO® Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • MAYBELLINE: FIT ME MATTE + PORELESS
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Build Your Legacy
    • Prudential – Dream & Plan with Confidence
    • Black History Month
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Lifestyle News
    • Coronavirus: Everything You Need to Know
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
    • Currency Conversations
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
  • Festival
  • Events
    • Road to Festival
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • Entrepreneur Summit 2021
    • Wellness House
    • VAX & VIBES Louisiana
    • Girls United Summit 2021
    • She Got Now
    • Fashion House 2021
    • GU Back To School
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • WELLNESS HOUSE: YEAR OF RENEWAL
    • Power Tools
    • Making Moves Now: Virtual Bootcamp
    • #EF SESSIONS
    • Cares Act
    • News & Announcements
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Getty
Home · Health & Wellness

5 Ways A Doula Can Help A Woman Before, During and After Her Pregnancy

By Lynya Floyd · Updated October 28, 2019
While you might only associate doulas with a baby’s birth, they can actually help with all the phases that a woman’s womb might go through—from fertility treatments to abortion procedures.

Everyone from researchers to congressional Representatives has gotten the memo about the positive impact a doula can have on a pregnant woman’s life. Studies have shown that these partners in pregnancy who provide advice, information and support to mothers-to-be or new moms can help decrease the amount of time you spend in labor, lessen the chance that you’ll need a C-section and more. In fact, the health benefits are so bountiful that, just this spring, Representative Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin) introduced the Mamas First Act in Congress. The bill would require state Medicaid programs to cover doula services for prenatal, delivery and postpartum services all across the country.

At this point, the question isn’t whether or not you should work with a doula—it’s what type of doula would be best for you. The category “full spectrum doulas” encompasses the range of services doulas might provide. Think of it as anything a woman’s womb might go through. “That’s the beauty of how this industry has grown,” explains Ravae S.M. Sinclair, JD, President of DONA International, an industry-leading organization which educates and certifies birth, postpartum and community-based doulas. She notes that some doulas focus on helping women deal with fertility problems while others work with women terminating their pregnancies. “After getting a foundational training as a birth or postpartum doula, many doulas go on to find their niche and receive additional training in a specialization.”

Sinclair encourages women to talk to several doulas before making their final decision. “Ask lots of questions to make sure you two are a good fit,” says Sinclair, who has 17 years of experience as a doula. Here’s a look at a few of types of doulas to consider.

Fertility: When you’re trying to get pregnant

Sex Ed class made it seem like getting pregnant was oh-so-easy, but for many women it’s a struggle. Fertility doulas can step in to assist you on your journey towards pregnancy, offering education on nutrition, pre-conception health and wellness, support with the emotional heartbreak of a miscarriage, genetic considerations and more. Organizations, including the American Pregnancy Association and the Prenatal Institute, offer certification training in this specialization.

Birth and Labor: When you welcome help with your pregnancy journey

These practitioners are what we typically think of when someone mentions working with a doula. They can do everything from answering questions you have about what’s going on with your body to practicing breathing techniques with you to advocating for your needs once you’re admitted to the hospital.

One big role they offer is emotional support. “Relationships change and family dynamics shift, but as a doula, I’m there regardless of what’s going on,” says Symone New, a full spectrum doula who works with The Doula Project in New York City. “I’m a consistent resource and nonjudgmental source of support for my clients and that’s really powerful.”

Some birth and labor doulas like to focus on specific populations that might need extra support and advocacy like pregnant women who are planning to give their baby up for adoption or women in the LGTBQ community.

A portrait of an African American woman using a Swiss ball during labour.

Post-Partum: When you dealing with what comes after the baby comes

In what’s sometimes called the fourth trimester of pregnancy, doulas can link arms with you as you transition bravely into a new world of motherhood. Doulas can assist with education around breast or bottle feeding, adjusting to your baby’s sleep cycles and getting the nutrition you need.

They can also be on the lookout for signs of mood and anxiety disorders that can arise such as post-partum depression and post-partum anxiety. “I help new moms come to terms with the new reality of a body that may be stretching, sagging and discharging in a way they haven’t experienced before,” explains Raven Dickerson, MSW, a training and outreach coordinator for the DC Doula for Choice Collective.

Bereavement: When you’re grieving the loss of a baby

It can be devastating to experience a miscarriage, have a stillborn baby or give birth to a child with a life-limiting diagnosis. “Bereavement doulas are trained to hold that space around grief and offer pregnant women support,” explains Dickerson, who has been a doula for four years. These doulas might go with you to a doctor’s appointment to confirm pregnancy loss or suggest ways to honor your stillborn baby.

Abortion: When you’re planning on terminating your pregnancy

You don’t have to go it alone if you decide to end your pregnancy. Abortion doulas show up for women to provide physical support (like hand holding during the procedure) and to be a communications conduit for the doctor. “I can distract them from what’s happening with conversation or tell them where they are in the procedure which is relatively quick,” says New, who has been a doula for almost ten years.

Abortion doulas even help you communicate with the doctor. You may be too nervous or stressed, for example, to ask questions like post-procedure signs you should look out for or how long you need to wait before having sex. Your doula can speak up for you while providing nonjudgmental support.

Share :
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2022 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now