A Doula (pronounced doo-lah) is a greek word that means “womans servant”. A Doula: *Recognises birth as a key life experience that the mother will remember all her life. *Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labour. *Assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out out their plans for the birth. *Stays by the side of the labouring woman throughout the entire labour. *Provides emotional support,physical comfort measures,an objective viewpoint and assistance to the woman in getting the information she needs to make good decisions. *Percieves her role as one who nurtures and protects the womans memory of her birth experience. A Doula is a mother herself who is trained to support women during pregnancy, labour and in the first few weeks or months at home with a new baby. A Doula can offer all the emotional, practical and educational support that midwives nowadays don’t always have the time for as they are so stretched. Essentially doulas help pregnant mothers before, sometimes during, and after the birth of the baby. During labour they provide support for both the mother and father, keeping them calm, giving advice and offering general moral support. They are there in addition to the midwife; they do not have a medical role. After the birth they are on hand for mother and newborn care - often dropping in for a few hours every day. They provide breast feeding support and advice, will look after the older children, whip up some meals, run errands and help keep the house clean so that the mother can concentrate on recovery. A doula functions in the same way as a member of an extended family. She takes on the role that a mother or sister would.