Where does the word doula come from?
The word doula comes from ancient Greek, meaning Womans servant. Throughout history and in much of the world today, women support a woman through labor and birth, giving back rubs, offering medication free pain relief techniques, and providing continuous emotional support. Like their historical counterparts, doulas today know how to help a woman in labor feel better.
“Doula” is the feminine form of the ancient Greek word “doulos”, meaning bondsman or slave. Historically, a woman of property was probably attended in childbirth by her closest woman servant. Nowadays it has come to mean a woman who serves another woman during labour by providing knowledgeable support and physical comfort. Also known as “mothering the mother”.
