What Makes a Good Doula?
3 Qualities Every Doula Needs
By Wanja Gathu, Birth and Postpartum Doula
I recently finished training to become a birth and postpartum doula, supporting mother and baby during pregnancy, through birth, and beyond. What makes a good doula is something I have come to think about deeply through my own journey into birthwork.
My foray into birth work from a media and communication background was not random, though it may appear worlds apart. It was intentional, the culmination of a long period of soul searching to find new and meaningful work, helping people in a way that felt supportive for them and satisfying for me.
A Calling That Started Early
Birthwork came naturally to me. As an African woman, birthwork is expected of most women and girls, and training starts at a very young age. I witnessed a birth at 13 and was supporting a lactating young mother nurse her baby before I turned 15. At home, I looked after my younger siblings, making sure they were fed, diapers changed and kept warm.
When my neighbor gave birth, I went to her house every second day to help rock the baby boy to sleep while the mother slept. As an older woman with children of my own, I have supported my sisters and friends through pregnancy and birth, but I did not have a name for this work, nor did I charge a fee. I will tell you, however, that birth work is the most rewarding work I have ever done. Watching the children who passed through my hands as newborns grow and thrive, a miracle in real life.
From Experience to Doula Training
So when an opportunity arose for me to train as a doula, it felt like a continuation of work that had already begun. Then in training, I learnt new evidence-based ways of better supporting birthing people through pregnancy, birth and beyond. I knew how to draw up a birth plan and manage pain without medication and all the postures and positions to ease the discomfort of a difficult birth.
I loved learning how to advocate for those without a voice and how best to work alongside clinical people like doctors and midwives, to aid the birthing process in hospital settings. I knew that my place as a doula was vital to the birthing process even though it was non-medical. I could help ease the burden of care for health facilities struggling to serve a growing population with fewer doctors and stretched resources.
What Makes a Good Doula?
I have asked myself this question often. Does having all the training and certification, coupled with years of experience make one a good doula? Does the number of deliveries supported make one a good doula? I think not.
In my quest to find answers, I put the question to fellow Doulas, some of whom are the most experienced people I know. Three important things came up, without which one cannot claim to be a good doula.
1. Empathy
Capacity to put oneself into another’s shoes and with greater appreciation of their situation, help them cope in the best way possible.
2. Kindness
An act of kindness is measured by the amount of heart in it. At least for me. Kind people feel for others and help them out of the goodness of their hearts.
3. Passion
Passion for me is a labour of love. Someone said, “do the things you love then you will never have to work a day in your life” (often attributed to Mark Twain). This is exactly how I feel about birthwork.
I love children and really enjoy spending time with them. Supporting birthing parents is to me another way of putting that love in action and spreading it.
Becoming the Doula You Want to Be
These three things are not exhaustive by any means. You are welcome to add many more good values to your list and to be intentional. But this is a great place to start if you want to be a good doula.
About the Author: Wanja Gathu
Wanja is a birth and postpartum doula based in Toronto, and serving East and West Toronto, as well as the GTA. She is a mother of two. Wanja brings great passion, love for children and family into birthwork. Her practice is guided by age-old values and traditions surrounding the sacred work of supporting birth and bringing forth new life, passed down for generations, coupled with evidence-based training. She blogs in her spare time.
Learn More About Doula Training
Want to deepen your knowledge and confidence in supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum? Explore our Birth & Postpartum Doula Training program and learn the skills you need to support birthing people and their families every step of the way.