Trauma-informed practice in doula work: what it means and why it matters
‘Trauma-informed’ is a phrase that has entered the language of birth work over the past decade. Like many such phrases, it risks becoming imprecise through overuse — a label applied loosely to anything that sounds caring, rather than a specific set of principles and practices that meaningfully change how support is delivered.
This post is an attempt to be precise. What does trauma-informed practice actually mean? What does it look like in the hands of a doula? Why does it matter in the birth context specifically? And why — if you’re considering training — should you care whether your training addresses it properly or not?
What trauma-informed practice actually means
The concept of trauma-informed care has its roots in mental health and social work, and the original framework — developed by Harris and Fallot in 2001 and later adopted by SAMHSA (the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) — rests on six core principles. These have since been applied across healthcare settings, including maternity care.
What’s in your doula kit?
So this is a question I get asked a LOT!
And the answer does vary from time to time depending on what kind of births I’ve been attending and what new and wonderful things I’ve found useful in supporting people.
The first thing that I probably use the most is a birth pool, liner,
There’s a doula for everyone
“If doulas were a drug it would be unethical not to use it” (Dr John Kenell)
I strongly believe this to be true! But what does this mean for those who’s finances don’t afford them a doula? And who do we make birth work pay in a patriarchal capitalist society that necessitates us charging “our worth” and yet devalues our “women’s work”?
I was recently chatting with one of The Original Birth Connection Birth Worker Training Programme trainees about this and I thought it would be useful to others to share some thoughts.
Whilst in ancient history doulas were in effect slaves without income, modern doulas, or birth workers, aim to make a living supporting birthing women and people, in order to support themselves and their families.
