doula
A trained support person who provides emotional, physical and practical assistance to…A trained support person who provides emotional, physical and practical assistance to a pregnant woman or couple before, during or after childbirth.
Meaning
2 sensesA trained support person who provides emotional, physical and practical assistance to a pregnant woman or couple before, during or after childbirth.
Doula
до́улаdóula
доулаdoula
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
A trained person who provides similar support to someone who is diagnosed with an incurable condition and is receiving end-of-life care.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Borrowed from Greek δούλα (doúla, “servant-woman”), from Ancient Greek δούλη (doúlē, “femaBorrowed from Greek δούλα (doúla, “servant-woman”), from Ancient Greek δούλη (doúlē, “female slave”). Popularized by the American anthropologist Dana Raphael in the book The Tender Gift: Breastfeeding (1973), where the word is credited to Eleni Rassias.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: doulasSynonyms
3 synonyms- 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:labor coachbirthing coachmonitrice