“I‘ll take care of you, so that you could take care of your baby“ – this is how a woman representing herself as a doula could describe her work.
Although birth attendant or doula is not a well-known name in our country, Lithuanian women have already been looking for their services. Besides her husband, a woman often invites her sister or a friend to participate in the childbirth. “I would like you to be my doula”, - a woman says asking for help. And the one who is asked knows that she wants to become a doula.
About doulas. Birth attendants assist a woman before, during, or after childbirth by providing information, physical assistance, and emotional support. The kinds of support provided during childbirth may include comfort, providing company, encouragement or simply talking, giving advice and acting as an advocate for the woman undergoing childbirth - suggesting options or supporting the woman's decisions to a medical team. Doulas may also be involved during pregnancy and after birth – cooking, cleaning and giving child a bath. Doulas make sure that a childbirth – whatever it is – would become a wonderful, positive and inspirational experience..
The funding that we seek through aukok.lt will help more than 20 women in Lithuania to become a doula. It means, that given the knowledge needed, doulas could offer their services to at least the same number of pregnant women. There is a possibility that more women will ask for doulas assistance and then more childbirths will become shorter, more positive and healthy to both mother and child.
The aim of the project is to create an opportunity for women in Lithuania to receive emotional, psychological and physical assistance from specifically trained birth attendants.
According to the project, after the course 20 birth attendants will be trained to provide their services to pregnant women in Lithuania. Their practice will be presented on www.doula.lt website.