Should you have a doula? Here’s everything you need to know
- Bertie Hynes
- Mar 21
- 4 min read
As more and more people opt to incorporate a doula into their birth plans, we spoke to experienced doula Roberta Hynes to understand more about this increasingly popular service in Ireland.
Owner of Irish-based support service Doula Help, Roberta specialises in providing parents with support along the way from their fertility journey to during pregnancy to post-partum.
Sharing how her own losses have helped her to better understand families going through the same situation, Roberta spoke about how rewarding her experience has been working as a doula and outlined the many benefits of having the support of a doula.
What is a doula?
A doula is a professional, non-medical person who provides support for the main stages a person will go through in their life that could be their fertility journey, birth, post-partum, an abortion or end-of-life.
What services do doulas provide?
Doulas offer a wide range of practical supports, along with evidence based information resources and emotional reassurance.
‘If the mum or birthing person has a c-section there’s a long recovery involved – so a post-partum doula will help in many ways such as changing the bedsheets after night-sweats or bleeding, batch cooking food and helping to change baby’s nappy or soothe the newborn’, Roberta explained.
What types of doulas are out there?
Roberta explains that no doula is the same, with different doulas providing different types and styles of support.
Some doulas solely focus on the birth portion of the pregnancy journey and can specialise in homebirths, hospital settings or both while others may only do post-partum where they assist the family once they get home with their newborn.
Encouraging parents-to-be to find the right doula for their specific needs, she added:
‘That why it’s great to have so many doulas in Ireland who have different personalities, different availabilities, training, skills, different lived experiences that they can call on. Myself, I’ve had five losses. So I am able to deal with families that have suffered losses, I have better understanding of what they’ve been through, someone who hasn’t suffered losses may not have the same language.’
When is the best time to seek the help of a doula?
Roberta detailed how some families prefer someone who offers support in multiple areas from pregnancy to post-partum while others may only want support at some stages and not others.
She described how doulas also offer antenatal support which involves getting the home ready, setting up the cot, assembling buggys and bassinets: ‘Some families prefer the same person to be with them along the journey.’
What is ITPAD?
Founded last year, ITPAD is made up of a growing number of doulas providing supports across the country.
‘We’re inclusive of all doulas, you can find a doula that suits your needs. I have met with families, we chat about their needs, their expectations, and where I felt we’re not a good fit, I don’t have the right skills or the right experience, I will be able to point them in the direction of another doula in this area that I can highly recommend and is really experienced. ‘
Choosing a doula apart of the association assures parents that they are Garda vetted, have insurance and have completed child safety courses.
Where to find a doula?
Outside of finding a doula through the association, mums and dads can go through their public health nurse, local children’s hospitals who are aware of which doulas work within the hospital and locally and by contacting their GP.
How involved are doulas?
With Roberta carrying out birth support once a month to avoid overlap, she explains how doulas and parents work out a schedule that suits both them and baby: ‘When I meet with a family before they book with me, I often say that I can’t book with them in advance because they don’t know what they’re going to need until they meet their baby’.
‘I work with some families who are in the immediate afters of the baby’s birth all the time – that could be within two to three months. I could be there for four hours a day, every day of the week. For other families that might be for less time for a few sessions because they already have children – they just need some refreshers on some tips and tricks or new things.’
‘Sometimes, I’ll be in during the morning, so the parents can have a rest – I can change bedsheets, cook food or give the baby a bath. Or I might be with a family in the afternoon when older children come home from school. So the parents can focus on those children, I might take the baby out for a walk or keep the baby occupied in another room so they can catch up’.
‘Or it might be during the evening, for the witching hours at around 10pm when baby can be quite unsettled.’
Can my partner also be supported by a doula?
Roberta also spoke about the support she provides for the birthing person’s partner during labour.
Roberta said: ‘We’re not there instead of that partner, we’re there alongside them. I also work with solo mums, moms with adopted embryos or those going through IVF.’
‘Whether it’s the same sex couples or if there’s a dad there – I’m going to help both individuals.’
‘I’ll remind the dad to drink water as well as the mom to take a break, if the mom needs to change positions, then the dad and I can help moving her into a position or helping her into the shower’.
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