What is a doula?
By definition, a doula is a person who provides support and accompaniment.
To accompany means to walk alongside someone, to stand by them through their journey, and to respect their own pace, while offering presence, empathy, and support.
A doula’s approach is grounded in respect and understanding of physiological processes. Through preparation meetings and ongoing support, she helps create a satisfying experience that honors the wishes of the parents. The relational continuity, built over several weeks, allows the doula to develop a deep bond of trust and to understand the family’s needs, concerns, and aspirations. This privileged relationship, combined with her training, also enables her to identify situations requiring special attention and to guide families toward appropriate community resources.
Doulas are distinguished by the following characteristics:
Continuous relational support
-
Establishing a secure bond of trust through multiple meetings and regular communication.
-
Providing ongoing presence through the various stages and maintaining consistent support over several weeks.
Empowerment
-
Strengthening the ability of individuals and parents to act by recognizing their inner resources, supporting their decision-making autonomy, and fostering confidence in their own abilities.
Voluntary and personalized approach
-
A service freely chosen by parents and tailored to their specific needs, in respect of their culture, values, and beliefs.
-
A practice rooted in the expressed needs and desires of the individual and the parents.
Autonomy and independence of practice
-
Doulas work through community organizations or in private practice, entirely independent of medical and institutional systems.
Strictly non-medical framework
-
Provides complementary support alongside medical follow-up, without intervening in or performing any reserved medical acts.
Although doulas can provide support at many moments in a person’s life, the AQD has chosen to intentionally bring together and represent doulas who accompany the different stages of the reproductive journey,including pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period, as well as fertility, pregnancy termination, and perinatal loss.
@mariepier_birthphotographer
Preconception and fertility support
A preconception doula (also known as a fertility doula) supports individuals who wish to conceive, whether naturally or through assisted reproduction. They offer compassionate support that helps them navigate this process with greater confidence and peace of mind.
@lebokehnique_birthphotographer
Prenatal support
A prenatal doula accompanies pregnant people with emotional, physical, and informational support. She may intervene only during pregnancy or continue her support until birth (See Birth Support). Her approach is always imbued with compassion, respect, and attentive listening to enable you to experience pregnancy with serenity and confidence.
@withbarbara_doulapphotographer
Postnatal support
A postnatal doula accompanies the family during the first few weeks after birth. She kindly supports parents as they adjust to life with a newborn. Her presence makes a positive difference, and her compassionate approach allows families to navigate this transition with greater peace of mind and confidence.
Photo Credit: Odile Finck-Beccafico
Support for termination of pregnancy
A pregnancy termination doula supports individuals before, during, and after a pregnancy termination, whether voluntary (abortion) or medical (medical termination). They offer compassionate support tailored to each individual's needs. In Quebec, approximately 23,000 pregnancies are terminated each year, and despite the accessibility of abortion, doulas contribute to the humanization of care in this context.
@withbarbara_doulapphotographer
Support for perinatal bereavement
A perinatal bereavement doula supports families facing the death of their baby, whether it occurs spontaneously or following a medical termination of pregnancy (MTP). She offers tailored support for the loss of a baby during pregnancy, at birth, or shortly thereafter—an experience often marked by pain and isolation in a society where this type of grief remains taboo.