The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves"
A labor doula attends the birthing family before, during, and just after the birth of the baby. The doula is trained to deliver emotional support from home to hospital, ease the transition into the hospital environment, and be there through changing hospital shifts and alternating provider schedules. The doula serves as an advocate, labor coach, and information source to give the mother and her partner the added comfort of additional support throughout the entire labor. There are a variety of titles used by women offering these kinds of services such as "birth assistant," "labor support specialist" and "doula"
(taken from the CAPPA Labor Doula Training Manual)
