# How long has this "doula" concept existed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-doula-concept-existed/305912 "2005-05-28T20:02:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-doula-concept-existed/305912/21 "2005-05-30T03:53:16Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > No need to be skeptical. Women giving birth predates the professionalization of medicine. Well, yes, and obviously women have always helped others, but the “doula” is now being touted as a _profession_, with professional designations, and I’m curious as to how long it’s been around. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-doula-concept-existed/305912/22 "2005-05-30T14:05:49Z")
I don’t think you’re going to get a hard and fast answer **RickJay**. There have certainly been pockets where doulas/midwives have always been around, but in North America once doctors and hospitals took over delivering babies, there was no room for anyone who wasn’t a doctor or a nurse to be involved in the birth process. Heck, the now-widespread acceptance of taking childbirth preparation classes before your baby arrives is less than 20 years old. When my siblings and I were born, my mum just showed up at the hospital, got knocked out, and had us pulled out. Alternatively, a mother would have showed up at the hospital and likely had a nurse with her during most of her labour – a practice that has since vanished as hospitals sought ways to cut costs, and been outsourced to doulas. But showing up knowing very little about what was going on in your body was the typical way to give birth for decades. No knowledge about different positions, how to avoid an episiotomy, etc. Even the idea of reading a book about what happened to your body during pregnancy was somewhat unusual-- at least for people of my parents’ generation. Now you (and I) have a frigging library at home of books to read in a feeble attempt to know everything possible about babycare before the child appears. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-doula-concept-existed/305912/23 "2005-05-30T17:44:09Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Well, yes, and obviously women have always helped others, but the “doula” is now being touted as a _profession_, with professional designations, and I’m curious as to how long it’s been around. Here is probably your answer: > **[World Wide Words: Doula](http://www.worldwidewords.org/turnsofphrase/tp-dou1.htm)** > > Explaining the meaning and the story behind the term 'doula'. “This word isn’t especially new—it’s recorded as long ago as the 1980s and the association Doulas of North America has been in existence since 1992—but it is only slowly becoming known outside the US and as yet is rarely recorded in dictionaries. A doula is a supportive companion, herself a mother, who is trained to help a new mother during childbirth and afterwards…” Figure the 1980s, unless someone can show a print citation of this word being used with this meaning. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-doula-concept-existed/305912/24 "2005-05-30T18:15:37Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > Figure the 1980s, unless someone can show a print citation of this word being used with this meaning. Added: …prior to 1980. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-doula-concept-existed/305912/25 "2005-05-30T18:44:39Z")
It’s likely I first read of the practice and the term Doula from Spiritual Midwifery, by Ina May Gaskin. I believe it was first published in the mid '70’s. I don’t have the book any longer to check for certain, but as I recall, that was the only published material available at the time. I’ve hired one five different times, and man, it’s heaven. Took all the heat off me, and helped the wife to relax and gave us all time for some heavy duty bonding. Our Doula’s were more help mates (meal prep, cleaning, child care) rather than birth attendants. We already employed midwives and they almost all came with an assistant/apprentice. ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-doula-concept-existed/305912/26 "2005-05-30T23:25:27Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > I don’t think you’re going to get a hard and fast answer **RickJay**. Heck, the now-widespread acceptance of taking childbirth preparation classes before your baby arrives is less than 20 years old. I dunno about that. 20 years ago is exactly when I was taking childbirth prep classes and they were fully established and accepted at all the hospitals. Also, though a doula _may_ also be a mother, my doula friend is not, so I don’t think it’s a requirement, as the posted link seems to imply. I’ll have to ask her if she has any refs pre-1980ish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-doula-concept-existed/305912.md?page=1)