Doula: nounA Doula is a trained and experienced partner who accompanies a woman through pregnancy
and childbirth and the first few weeks of family life.
The Goodwin volunteer doula project provides support to women during pregnancy and the early weeks of family life. This website provides resources for Doula projects across the country. It also provides a place where women can share experience and find out more about becoming involved in Doula projects. Find out more about the principles of the Doula project and how to set up a project.
The aim of this event is to bring together Doulas, teachers, students, health professionals and parents and to inform as well as educate around positively supporting women and their families through birth and early family life.
This exciting event brings you:
Follow this link to read more about Start4life
Parent 1st based in the Thurrock area are the first area to Replicate the Doula project. For more information click on this link http://www.goodwindoulas.org/node/3566
In November 2009, Heather Barnes, Project Manager of the Doula Project, was interviewed live on Women's Hour on Radio 4. This followed a great interview with two Volunteer Doulas and the mum that they supported throughout her pregnancy, birth, and the first weeks of her baby's life. Listen to the interview and find out more here.
As with all successful grassroots organizations, the Goodwin Volunteer Doula Service in Hull was motivated by a small group of local women who wished to do something positive for pregnant women in the face of difficult personal, social and economic conditions. Goodwin Development Trust, as part of the local Sure Start programme, identified a gap in provision of support for women form disadvantaged communities around childbirth, and in September 2005 the Goodwin Volunteer Doula Service was piloted. Since then we have trained 55 volunteers and supported over 150 women. Over the past three years the project has developed and now offers support from, and to, women all over Hull and is currently joint funded by Hull Teaching PCT and Hull City Council via the Early Years fund.
In conjunction with Hull & East Riding Maternity Services we have recently won the 2008 All Party Parliamentary Group Maternity Awards for services for isolated communities. If you are interested in developing such a service in your area of the country, we have now developed a replication package for such organisations. Please visit How to Replicate to find out more…
What exactly is a 'Doula'? A doula would often be called a birth partner, but in effect she is much mor
e than that. The word 'Doula' is Greek and has come to mean 'a trained and experienced partner who accompanies a woman through pregnancy and childbirth and for the first few weeks of family life`. A Doula offers no clinical skills and does not perform any medical tasks.
The Goodwin Volunteer Doula Project is a voluntary project set up within the auspices of the Goodwin Development Trust. The word 'doula' is a Greek word meaning 'woman servant' but has now come to mean a woman who offers emotional and physical support to women before, during and after childbirth.
The aim of our project is to:
1. Train, nurture and support local women to become volunteer doulas, ensuring they feel supported, valued, involved and listened to.
