What is a doula?
A doula is a trained support professional who provides emotional, physical, and informational care to parents during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Unlike doctors or midwives, doulas don’t deliver babies they focus on supporting the family.
There are two main types:
- Birth doulas: present during labor to offer comfort, advocacy, and calm.
- Postpartum doulas: step in after birth to help with newborn care, recovery, meals, and parent education.
Why families love doulas
- Continuous emotional support – Someone who’s only focused on you, not medical charts or rotations.
- Practical help – From positioning during labor to teaching swaddling or soothing tricks at home.
- Confidence boost – Parents who use doulas often report lower stress and higher satisfaction with their birth experience.
- Better recovery – Postpartum doulas make sure parents eat, rest, and heal, not just survive.
Florida spotlight
In South Florida, families often work with doulas through:
- Hija Del Sol Birth Services (Miami-Dade & Broward)
- The Doula FOURce Collective (South Florida & Tampa)
- Motheretreat (Miami)
- Local community programs like Broward Breastfeeding Coalition often connect parents to postpartum support.
How to know if a doula is right for you
Ask yourself:
- Do I want more emotional support beyond medical care?
- Will I need practical, hands-on help in the first few weeks postpartum?
- Do I want someone to coach me and my partner through new-parent life?
If you answered “yes” to even one, a doula may be the support you didn’t know you needed.
