Why hire a Catholic doula?

First of all what's a doula? A doula is a servant - a person who mothers the mother. A doula is a professional trained woman who helps another woman during her pregnancy, birth and postpartum (plus bereavement) time frame.

Who's the first doula? Our Lady was the first doula - or at least that is what I believe. She rushed to St. Elizabeth's side after the announcement from the angel Gabriel. Mary visited Elizabeth only during her pregnancy. It is believed she went home before the birth of St. John. It may have been the custom of the time as she had not birthed a baby yet or there could have been other reasons. Anyway, after Mary left, St. John's birth came soon after. The custom was for the Father to name the child. St. Zachariah was mute and dumb - so he wrote down the name "His name is John." After that his lips were opened and he could speak again and he praised God! His family was dumfounded as well! John would be the forerunner of Mary's son Jesus Christ. 

Now, back to our main ideas - why hire a Catholic doula? Why is this so important? 

1. A Catholic doula will respect you and your family.

2. A Catholic doula can pray with you and be a spiritual aspect that is missing.

3. A Catholic doula can inform you of procedures that might be dangerous to your baby's health - like Amniocentesis. 

4. A Catholic doula can inform you of other things and be there as a pro-life person to lean on during trials. 

5. If you receive a terminal or weird diagnosis - a Catholic doula can help you sift from fact or fiction. For instance a Down syndrome child does NOT need to be aborted - these are God's angels (as I call them) - these children can live longer lives now than in the past and modern technology can repair any heart issues, etc. 

6. If a terminal diagnosis is true, you can help prepare the family for loss as a bereavement doula in a Catholic way. 

7. A Catholic doula is just there for you in any spiritual, physical and comfort way for your family.

Quoting from Agpae birth services page: 

"Catholic birth doulas, while holding true to the fundamental responsibilities of traditional doulas, go a step further. They bring a strong spiritual element into their work, aligning their support with the tenets and traditions of the Catholic faith. This might involve offering prayers, faith-based encouragement, and religious rituals, creating an environment that respects and nurtures the spiritual wellbeing of the expectant mother alongside her physical and emotional needs." 1 (see bottom of article) 

Benefits of Hiring a Catholic Birth Doula

1. Spiritual aspects - imagine being able to pray with your doula during your birthing journey! 

2. Emotional support - a Catholic doula can help you so much better emotionally than a non-Catholic doula.

3. Physical support - just being able to focus on that physical needs - does include some spiritual side of things like offering up our sufferings through Jesus and Mary.

4. Postnatal care - this time after birth is so vulernable for a mother - well the mother has needs that are mix well if someone is senstive and caring like a Catholic doula.

5. Relationship - you may enjoy having this one-on-one relationship with a Catholic doula. 

Another quote from Agpae:

"Doulas and Secular/Modern Doulas
4.1 PHILOSOPHY AND APPROACH
4.1.1 Modern/New-Age Doulas
Modern or New-Age doulas generally embrace a holistic approach to birth support, focusing on the mind, body, and spirit. They often employ a variety of methods, such as meditation, visualization, and holistic health practices. However, while they may acknowledge a spiritual component, their practices may not be tied to specific religious beliefs or doctrines, and may not align with the religious needs of women from specific faith backgrounds.

4.1.2 Catholic/Christian Doulas
Contrasting with this, Catholic/Christian doulas incorporate their faith directly into their philosophy and approach. They provide services that uphold and align with the religious values, practices, and beliefs of their clients. This faith-centered approach can create a deeply meaningful birth experience for Catholic women, providing a source of comfort, reassurance, and strength that is grounded in their spiritual beliefs.

4.2 METHODS AND TECHNIQUES
Both Catholic/Christian doulas and secular/modern doulas utilize a range of techniques to support mothers before, during, and after childbirth. However, the methods employed by Catholic/Christian doulas often have a distinct spiritual component. They may include prayer, sacraments, or biblical teachings in their support strategies. This can provide a unique, faith-centered birth experience, promoting spiritual growth and resilience alongside physical well-being." (2) 

Another thing to be aware of is that there is an underground abortion movement in states like Texas and Florida. These states have supposedly "abortion doulas" - blech - anyway, these women do not honor life and want to extingusish it. We want to help mothers in ALL USA states obtain Catholic and Christian doulas. So, what can we do is make sure there are doulas in every state that are Catholic to help mothers. 

My mission is to gift some Women who have been wanting to become a doula a partial scholarship to train with CATHOLIC Doula program www.catholicdoula.com 

I want to offer as many partial scholarships as I can - if you want to become a part of this - ask for Julie and email me at catholicdoulaprogram@gmail.com and request the St. Gemma partial scholarship application. Or email me a short essay why you want to become a doula. We are offering the partial scholarships based from our regular pricing of $555 down to $325 - this includes the book "Comfort in Birth Method" as our training tool. 

If you are from Maryland, California, or Arizona please let me know. I am offering special information for those states. 

God Bless,

Julie Larsen 

If you are seeking a doula - go to https://findacatholicdoula.weebly.com or message me at catholicdoulaprogram@gmail.com

We also have Life Doulas group at https://lifedoulas.weebly.com - Thank you. 

Sources:

1: https://agapebirth.com/hiring-a-catholic-birth-doula-to-attend-your-birth/

2. Same source as above.