Life Doula
by Morag Paterson - 16:37 on 15 November 2022
A fresh realisation for me is that this is now who I am and what I do – life-doula-ing.
The word makes me smile, it touches my heart. It’s unusual, from between worlds, as though it carries the essence of the past, into the present and forward into whatever next.
It gathers together all that I know and have experienced, and takes what we know as ‘holistic’ out into the “quantum field “ of energies, therefore integrating ‘all that is’. It is free of constraints in ‘this world’ – it just is. And yet it applies to anyone, anything and everywhere: what we know as career, health, life choices and the rest.
Mostly known in the context of birth-doula-ing (being with a mother before, during and post child-birth), or as an end-of-life or death-doula-ing (being with a person as they approach death). I am ‘naming’ the notion of life-doula-ing to incorporate all of this, and what comes before and after, inside and out, above and below.
My work is as a kind of mid-wife … to assist us – or birth us - into a full and present life in the now, at whatever age or stage we are in our life, and wherever we find ourselves, through acknowledging, accepting and integrating all aspects (emotional, physical, mental and spiritual) and subtle and vast energies of what is known as the ‘quantum field’. Sometimes known as ‘soul midwife’ (in the context of death doula services), we deepen and broaden this concept to include all-that-is, as well as the notion of ‘one who mothers the mother” (* see next page for more context).
My work – my service – is therefore to mother the mother in all of us, to give birth to all that we are, so that we feel free, happy, clear, peaceful, connected, aligned, in-tune, loved and loving. Everything else then fits beautifully and as if magically into place …. whatever our current question or life circumstances.
16/11/22 Morag Paterson
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A bit of context (a brief scan of the internet):
“The term doula was first used in a 1969 anthropological study conducted by Dana Raphael, a protégée of Margaret Mead, with whom she co-founded the Human Lactation Center in Westport, Connecticut, in the 1970s. The term ‘doula’ as used today is an English ‘neolinguistic’ term. It was introduced to North America in the 1970s by Dana Rafael, in her book “The Tender Gift: Breastfeeding” to refer to a caring knowledgeable woman who comes into the home and “mothers the new mother” – Wikepedia
“The ancient Greek “doula” was there to listen and follow the wishes of the mother, offering her services and life experience, but also aware of the humbleness her position asked for. I consider this a very important ingredient in the services provided by the modern doula. Often ‘specialists’ overwhelm the mother with tons of information and in the end make her feel even more dependent and inexperienced, instead of empowering her to find her own ways to bring to life and raise her children. The doula is next to the mother, the baby and the family, offering discreet care and creating the space and circumstances so that she herself can find the right answers for the growth of her family”. Mamana.gr
The word “Doula” is a Greek word that literally means “female slave for the child-bearing woman.” Today the word has come to mean “One who mothers the mother.”
https://motherscaredoula.com ›
The word "doula" comes from ancient Greek, meaning "a woman who serves." Today, "doula" refers to a professional trained to provide emotional, physical and informational support to women throughout their pregnancy, birth and the early postpartum period.
“A doula is a trained companion who is not a healthcare professional and who supports another person through a significant health-related experience, such as childbirth, miscarriage, induced abortion or stillbirth, or non-reproductive experiences such as dying”. Wikipedia
“Traditionally, a doula is the name for someone who provides guidance and support to a pregnant woman during labour. The word comes from the Greek 'doulē' meaning 'female servant/slave'.
In more recent times, the meaning of 'doula' has been extended to describe someone who supports people at the end of their life, too. Also known as a soul midwife or end of life doula, the support this person offers often focuses on the emotional, psychological and spiritual side of dying, as well as the more practical things”.
“A death midwife,[1] or death doula,[2] is a person who assists in the dying process, much like a midwife or doula does with the birthing process. It is often a community based role, aiming to help families cope with death through recognizing it as a natural and important part of life”.
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