What is a Trauma-Certified Birth and Bereavement Doula?

A Trauma-Certified Birth and Bereavement Doula is a professional birth-worker who is uniquely trained to provide continuous emotional, physical, and informational support to families during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum regardless of pregnancy outcome. While most birth doulas provide non-clinical support during healthy and positive delivery outcomes, a certified bereavement doula is specially trained to support families who are experiencing the loss of a baby or during a subsequent pregnancy after a previous miscarriage, stillbirth, or terminal fetal diagnosis.

The word “doula” originates from the Greek word for “a woman who serves”, and serving is the foundation of everything a doula does. Doulas are trained to serve pregnant, birthing, and postpartum people in all settings- including virtually, in hospitals, in birthing centers, and in homes. Birth and Bereavement Doulas are uniquely qualified to serve families through all types of pregnancies and births- including miscarriages and stillbirths, TFMR (Termination for Medical Reasons) deliveries, and “happy” pregnancies and deliveries with positive outcomes that occur after a prior loss. Whether you plan to have a medicated or unmedicated birth, a vaginal delivery or a cesarean section, a hospital birth or a home birth, a doula is a vital part of your birth support team to help you have an empowered and supportive birthing experience. 

What are the Benefits of Hiring a Doula During a Pregnancy Loss or Pregnancy After a Loss? 

A Trauma-Certified Birth and Bereavement Doula can provide individualized support whether you are entering the world of parenthood on the wings of loss or have just had your blissful paradigm shattered by the reality of pregnancy and infant loss. Pregnancy and infant loss are often traumatic experiences and can create an association of distrust- not only in your own body, but also in your pregnancy and birth experience and sometimes even with your medical providers. When you’ve experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss- or if you are pregnant again after experiencing a loss- two of the things you will likely need most are support and confidence in the decisions you make and in your care team. A doula’s main goal is to empower parents to feel confident about their decisions throughout the entire pregnancy and birthing process by offering choices, providing education and information to help reduce fear and anxiety, and normalizing the experiences of birth and parenthood with positive affirmations and supportive care. Pregnancy and infant loss and pregnancy after loss can often feel extremely overwhelming, and it is especially important in these cases for families to know all of their options, to fully understand the processes along the way, and to get the professional support necessary. 

When you hire a doula, your doula will learn about your history and current pregnancy and circumstances and will partner with you to uncover your hopes for your unique delivery experience. You will meet with your doula regularly throughout your pregnancy (in-person or through virtual meetings), and your doula will help you articulate your birth preferences and potential triggers and support you to facilitate discussions with your medical provider and birthing facility to create your birth plan. Depending on your current and previous pregnancy and birth experiences, you may have specific concerns about things going wrong or ways you’d like to redeem your past experiences with pregnancy and birth.

While you are the only one who can decide if hiring a doula is right for you, many bereaved families find a doula’s services to be incredibly valuable. It is extremely common- especially when pregnant after loss- to struggle with distrust in your body’s ability to carry to term and give birth to a living, healthy baby. Feelings of anxiety and worry that something will go wrong are completely understandable, and a doula can help to remind you that everything is progressing normally and can provide you with tangible tools and resources to help you reduce your feelings of anxiety and increase your ability to enjoy your pregnancy and birth experience. No matter the situation or setting, your doula can walk with you through both the impossibly tough and exceedingly joyful experiences and create an environment of trust in which any and all emotions are welcome. Pregnancy after loss can be full of deep emotion and often intense worry, and none of us can be in our best frame of mind when we are afraid, anxious, or feel unsupported emotionally or physically. A doula can help you to get through these deep emotions and intense worries to empower you to be in your best frame of mind when your delivery day comes. Statistics collected through research on doulas determined that hiring a doula significantly decreases your likelihood to be dissatisfied with your birthing experience (Evidence Based Birth).

Pregnancy and infant loss and pregnancy after loss are sacred journeys that deserve specialized care and support. Hiring a doula can provide provide you with emotional support while also helping you to instill confidence, reframe birth in a positive way, and access trusted referrals and/or resources. If you are experiencing pregnancy or infant loss or are pregnant again after a loss, I would love to provide you with individualized support and care as your Trauma-Certified Birth and Bereavement Doula!