Are there too many doulas?
Every year around 300,000 babies are born in Australia, yet many women still move through pregnancy and birth without the continuous support they need.
Doulas play a powerful role in helping women feel safe, informed and supported throughout their birth experience. But despite what some people believe, there is still enormous need for doulas in Australia.
In this article, I share five important ways doulas support women during pregnancy and birth, and why this work continues to be so valuable for families.
The top 5 benefits of having a doula – and why this work is still so needed
When people hear about doula training, one of the most common comments I hear is:
“There seem to be so many doulas around now.”
But when we step back and look at the bigger picture of maternity care in Australia, the reality is very different.
As I mentioned, around 300,000 babies are born in Australia every year.
Even if only a small percentage of those women choose to have a doula, that still represents tens of thousands of families who could benefit from professional support during pregnancy, birth and the early weeks after baby arrives.
The truth is, there is more than enough work for doulas, because what doulas offer fills a gap that modern maternity systems often cannot.
Here are five of the most important ways doulas make a difference.
1. Continuous support during labour
One of the biggest differences a doula provides is continuous unconditional support.
In many hospital settings, midwives and doctors may change shifts or care for multiple women at the same time. A doula’s role is different: they remain focused solely on supporting the woman and her partner throughout the entire labour.
Research consistently shows that continuous labour support improves outcomes for women and babies, including shorter labours and fewer interventions.
Having a familiar, calm presence in the room can make an enormous difference to how a woman experiences her birth.
https://www.cochrane.org/evidence/CD003766_continuous-support-women-during-childbirth
2. Emotional safety and reassurance
Birth is not just physical – it is deeply emotional.
When a woman feels safe, supported and listened to, her body can work more effectively in labour. Continuous support helps reduce fear and stress, which supports the natural hormones that guide labour.
Emotional safety during birth is incredibly important, particularly when we consider that around one in three women describe their birth as traumatic. Birth trauma is not always about the clinical outcome, it is often about whether a woman felt heard, respected and supported during the experience.
Doulas play an important role in helping women feel safe, informed and supported throughout pregnancy and birth. Through continuity, reassurance and calm guidance, doulas can help reduce feelings of fear, isolation or overwhelm during labour.
For women who have previously experienced a difficult or traumatic birth, doula support can also be incredibly valuable in a subsequent pregnancy. Having a trusted support person who understands their history can help women rebuild confidence and approach their next birth with greater calm and preparation.
For many women, that sense of emotional safety shapes how they remember their birth for the rest of their lives.
3. Lower intervention rates
A large body of research has shown that doula support is associated with lower rates of medical interventions during birth.
Studies have found that when a doula is present:
- Caesarean rates decrease
- Labour may be shorter
- Women are less likely to use pharmacological pain relief
- Women report more positive birth experiences
This does not mean doulas replace medical care, far from it.
Instead, they complement maternity care by supporting the woman emotionally, physically and informationally throughout the process.
4. Support for partners
Partners often want to help but don’t always know how.
Doulas can guide partners in practical ways, suggesting comfort measures, explaining what may be happening during labour and helping them feel more confident in supporting the woman.
Rather than replacing the partner, a doula supports the partner to support the woman.
Many families later say that having a doula helped them feel more connected and involved in the birth experience.
5. Support for informed decision making
One of the most valuable roles of a doula is helping women feel informed and confident in their choices.
Doulas do not provide medical advice or make decisions for women. Instead, they help women:
- understand their options
- ask questions
- process information during labour
- feel supported in the decisions they make
This can make a significant difference in how women feel about their birth experience.
Feeling heard and respected is often just as important as the clinical outcome.
Are there too many doulas?
Of course not. In fact, there are not enough doulas.
Even if only 10% of women chose to have a doula, that would represent around 30,000 families seeking doula support each year.
The reality is that many women still do not know what a doula is or that this type of support exists.
What matters most is not how many doulas there are, but how many women still birth without the continuous emotional and practical support they deserve.
Many maternity services are stretched. Midwives are often caring for multiple women at the same time and appointments during pregnancy can be brief. This leaves a gap in care that doulas are uniquely placed to fill.
There is room in this work for doulas who are:
- well trained
- professional and ethical
- clear about their scope of practice
- committed to supporting women and families
Women deserve to feel safe, informed and supported throughout pregnancy and birth.
And with hundreds of thousands of births occurring every year, there are still many women who would benefit from having a doula by their side.
For those who feel drawn to this work, supporting women through pregnancy and birth can be one of the most meaningful roles you will ever take on.
Are you ready to step into that role?
Our core values are Education, Support, Respect, Integrity and Excellence.
The Doula Training Academy was established to educate, inform, encourage, research and to provide an ongoing support network for doulas across Australia and internationally.
At the Doula Training Academy, we embrace the collective knowledge gained from training, tradition and experience and this is passed down from generation to generation – like a legend or folklores.
Are you ready to follow your aspirations of becoming a doula and working in the perinatal space?
👉 Click here to secure your spot and start your journey
Vicki Hobbs
Founder & Trainer
Doula Training Academy