Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A support person, usually female, who may not have medical or
midwifery training, who providesemotional assistance to amother orpregnant couple before, during or afterchildbirth .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an assistant (often the father of the soon-to-be-born child) who provides support for a woman in labor by encouraging her to use techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The original meaning of the word doula comes from the Greek word for the most important female slave or servant in an ancient Greek household, the woman who probably helped the lady of the house through her childbearing.
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Anthropologist Dana Raphael first used the term doula to refer to experienced mothers who assisted new mothers in breastfeeding and newborn care in the book Tender Gift: Breastfeeding 1973.
Archive 2009-04-01 2009
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Anthropologist Dana Raphael first used the term doula to refer to experienced mothers who assisted new mothers in breastfeeding and newborn care in the book Tender Gift: Breastfeeding 1973.
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Although the word doula is Greek in origin, it is commonly used today to describe a professional birth assistant.
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A doula a Greek word meaning “to serve” comes into the home to care for a new family.
Mothering Twins LINDA ALBI 1993
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The word doula comes from Ancient Greek δούλη doulē, and refers to a woman of service....
Archive 2009-04-01 2009
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The word doula comes from Ancient Greek δούλη doulē, and refers to a woman of service....
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And today, I called the doula people again; they are having trouble finding one in my area who is free to come in April.
On babies, bumps and birthing ailbhe 2004
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While their proponents say a doula, the Greek word for slave, describes "the second-oldest profession" - female birth attendants predate Western medicine by a long way - their use has quadrupled in the past five years.
Telegraph.co.uk: news, business, sport, the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Sunday Telegraph 2009
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If you don’t have any close friends who have had a baby recently, or a mom who gave birth too long ago to be “current” and open minded, then a doula is a must.
vara commented on the word doula
"Ann Coulter wants to be my doula." Louis Bayard, "What Mary Cheney Should Expect When She's Expecting," Salon.com (12/7/06).
December 8, 2006
treeseed commented on the word doula
See also monitrice
February 4, 2008
bilby commented on the word doula
"For every breed of consultant, there are meta-consultants: special consultants who can help us pick our nanny, night nurse, or doula (the new age version)—all for either a fee up front or a cut of the referred consultant’s charges. If the meta-consultant is too expensive, then we can just go back to the web and read the user reviews of everyone and everything out there. Our online peers will point us to the goods and services we need for our baby to measure up to today’s standards."
- Douglas Rushkoff, Raising Baby Einstein, Arthur (magazine), Dec 2007.
March 23, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word doula
I read that this term comes from the ancient Greek word for "female slave."
April 13, 2009