doula

plural doulas

1. A trained support person who provides emotional, physical and practical assistance to a pregnant woman or couple before, during or after childbirth.

   Rebekah Rosler, a therapist and doula, decided to leave, even though her family history in New York goes back to the 1870s, she said.

   2020 June 5, Alyson Krueger, “The Agonizing Question: Is New York City Worth It Anymore?”, in New York Times

   1 more example

   The function of the doula varies in different cultures from a little help here and there to complete succoring, including bathing, cooking, carrying, and feeding. Whatever the doula does, however, is less important than the fact that she is there.

   1973, Dana Raphael, The Tender Gift: Breastfeeding, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, →ISBN, page 24

2. A trained person who provides similar support to someone who is diagnosed with an incurable condition and is receiving end-of-life care.

   Synonyms: death doula

3. A trained person who provides support through any difficult process.

   If one partner wants an amicable divorce but the other is abusive, hostile or vengeful, a happy divorce may be impossible to achieve – a fact the media often ignores, said Lynn Kaplan, a divorce doula and coach in Toronto.

   2017 July 5, Katrina Clarke, “Divorce selfies, conscious uncoupling and the rise of the amicable divorce”, in CBC News, archived from the original on 04 Dec 2023