plural doulas
: a person trained to provide advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth
Research shows that childbirth does go more smoothly with a doula: labor is 25 percent shorter, the need for epidural pain relief is 60 percent less and the Caesarean section rate is reduced by half.—
Susan Gilbert
Susan GilbertExamples of doula in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Midwives can also make difficult medical decisions and administer medications, while doulas can’t.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 14 Apr. 2025
Millie integrates midwives, OB-GYNs, doulas, technology, and education to deliver a new standard of care.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Jackson has also partnered with the Southern Birth Justice Network to get doulas into its hospitals to help support expecting parents.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
Over the weekend, Lake said one of her birth doulas, Jennifer Lickson, reached out to her after the fire destroyed her home and offered copies of the photos of her son's birth.
—Elizabeth Stanton, Fox News, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for doula
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Dominique Fluker, Essence, 14 Apr. 2025
Millie integrates midwives, OB-GYNs, doulas, technology, and education to deliver a new standard of care.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Jackson has also partnered with the Southern Birth Justice Network to get doulas into its hospitals to help support expecting parents.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
Over the weekend, Lake said one of her birth doulas, Jennifer Lickson, reached out to her after the fire destroyed her home and offered copies of the photos of her son's birth.
—Elizabeth Stanton, Fox News, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for doula
Cite this Entry
“Doula.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doula. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
doula
noun
dou·la
ˈdü-lə 
: a woman experienced in childbirth who provides advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth
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