What does a doula do (and what doesn’t she do)?

The role of a doula often raises questions, because it isn’t a medical role and there’s no fixed training requirement or protected title, as there is for a midwife. Below is a clear overview of what that means in practice.

• 1 to 3 preparatory conversations during pregnancy, in which we get to know each other and discuss your wishes, fears and preferences.
• On call from week 38, day and night.
• Present throughout the entire birth, however long it takes, wherever you give birth (at home, in a birth centre or in hospital).
• Emotional and practical support: breathing, birthing positions, massage, calm and reassurance, for you and your partner.
• One postpartum visit after the birth, plus ongoing availability by phone and WhatsApp.

• No medical checks or examinations.
• No clinical decisions, and no medical advice or diagnoses.
• Doesn’t deliver the baby: that always remains the job of your midwife or, if there’s a medical indication, the obstetrician.
• Never replaces your midwife or your kraamzorg (postpartum maternity care), and always works alongside them, not instead of them.
• Doesn’t stay with you for days after the birth: I go home fairly soon after the baby is born and come back once more for a postpartum visit. The kraamzorg part (the daily care in the first week) is up to your maternity nurse, not me.

A doula always works alongside your medical team, never against them or in their place. Your midwife (or, if there’s a medical indication, the obstetrician) remains ultimately responsible for the medical side of the birth. What I add is the continuity around it: one familiar face you already know before labour begins, who stays with you the whole time. Want to know more about what a doula is exactly? Read the explanation here.

Not for days, no. After the birth I go home relatively soon; the daily care in the first week is up to your maternity nurse. I do come back once more for a postpartum visit and a debrief, and I’m reachable by phone and WhatsApp throughout if anything comes up. Curious what a postpartum doula can do on top of that? Read more about it here.

I’m Iris. I completed a post-bachelor professional training as a doula, have been teaching trainee doulas at the doula training programme in Utrecht for years, and bring years of hands-on experience as well as my own experience as a mother of four to every birth I support.

Not sure whether a doula suits your situation, or how to choose the right one? See what to look out for, book a free introductory chat, or first take a look at my services and pricing.