A midwife is a professional responsible for monitoring the progress of labor, assessing the mother’s vital signs, uterine dynamics, fetal auscultation, as well as identifying abnormalities and correcting problems. She is the one responsible for the health of the mother-baby pair. Some midwives are nurse midwives, others are not.

A doula is a birth companion who is trained to be attentive to all the mother’s emotional, physical, and psychological needs, and to offer comfort whenever possible. She also provides support to the partner. A doula offers evidence-based information and helps educate/prepare parents for childbirth and the postpartum period.

But what is a Catholic doula? A Catholic doula also offers, in addition to physical, emotional, and informative support, spiritual support to those who wish to invite Our Lord Jesus Christ into the delivery room.

As a Catholic doula, I never offer this support if the family is not Christian or if I perceive that they are not interested. After all, spiritual support during pregnancy and childbirth depends on a special faith, a strong devotion, a deep desire to bring God into the delivery room. Otherwise, the tools we use, such as prayers, rosaries, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and meditations on the sorrows of Our Lady, may not be effective. Without strong faith, HE does not come. HE does not participate where HE is not invited. Jesus respects our wishes, although HE wants us to do HIS, HE does not force us to do anything. Here in Toronto, where I live, I interact with people from all over the world, so I have Muslim, Catholic, Christian, agnostic, and atheist clients. I do not differentiate between any of them, and I happily assist everyone, even those who don’t want spiritual support during childbirth.

As a Catholic doula, what we do is pray the rosary with the pregnant woman via Zoom once a month, we visit the Blessed Sacrament once a month as well, we meditate together on the Rosary of Our Lady’s Sorrows so that during labor they can meditate on it during contractions, and we meditate together on various passages from the Bible that I send them via text message as things happen during the pregnancy. It is a gradual and profound work, where we also take the opportunity to connect more and grow together in faith.

Some families are Christian but not Catholic, so I adapt the prayers and meditations so that they can have spiritual support in the way they feel comfortable and according to what they believe. The important thing is that this work helps me and my client to be united in Christ.

Since I took the Catholic doula course, I have been surprised by the number of families who were unfamiliar with this type of support and who wanted to hire me as a Catholic/Christian doula. The training to become a Catholic doula varies from school to school. Some schools offer the complete doula course and the professional already receives the doula certificate as a Catholic or Christian doula, and others only offer a module for those who are already doulas and wish to include spiritual support in the birth.

As many of you know I owe a company called CAPPE EDUCATION and we will be offering the CATHOLIC DOULA training module in 2025 for those who are already doulas. We will be announcing the launch soon. There will also be the option of the CHRISTIAN DOULA module, where the doula will learn the tools and processes to support mothers who are Christian but not Catholic.

The important thing in all of this is that with the increasing anxiety in women regarding childbirth, proven by research, we who are Christians can understand that we need HIS help. We are creatures and not creators. We have no control over what happens during childbirth. That is why there is no science, neither Western nor Eastern, that can do what HE is capable of in the delivery room for people who are willing to invite HIM: Bringing peace and comfort to the woman, the inner acceptance she needs to relax and the involvement in an atmosphere of love and confidence that she can endure everything because she is for sure in GOD’S arms.