Code of ethics

CODE OF ETHICS OF Doulas in Catalunya Association

The doulas who belong to the Doulas in Catalunya Association develop their work committed with this code of ethics.
We place ourselves next to the women's freedom to decide all aspects of their sexual and reproductive lives. Therefore, we understand that every woman has the right to be informed about the process of pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium, as well as the right to be respected in her personal choices.


1 The work of the doula

The work of the doula is to accompany as well as provide emotional and practical support to women and their partner, either during the entire reproductive stage (pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum) or in a concrete phase of her motherhood in which she decides to count on our presence. In addition, some doulas have specific training to accompany other periods as upbringing, infertility and pregnancy loss.


We understand by ACCOMPANY:

• Offer our physical presence to the mother and family during the(s) stage(s) in which they want to count on us.
• Listen, support and inform with respect, tolerance, love and consistency. Facilitate the empowerment of women in decision-making, without judging or imposing personal criteria.
• Support their family wishes, as expressed in the birth plan, during prenatal talks or later conversations, inviting them to ask all their doubts to their health care provider, expressing their preferences and concerns.
• Promote general wellness for women and their babies.
• Both doulas and families should acknowledge that their supporting role does not include that the doula talk instead of them or make decisions for pregnant woman.

2 A doula is not medical staff.

Therefore, does not give any medical advice or interfere in the decisions of the professionals. She does not perform clinical or medical tasks such as examining the mother or baby, blood pressure checks neither prescribes any treatments.

The doula will always ask the family to confirm with the doctor any suggestion or information that may affect the work of health professionals.
The doula considers irreplaceable the presence of a midwife or medical team. Therefore, we do not support birth without an accredited medical assistance.
She should promote a positive relationship and a mutual respect collaboration with health professionals.
Doulas who are also professionals in medical care and decide to provide health services to a client outside the scope of our practice, should not introduce themselves as doulas.
The doula will refer to other professionals in the event that the needs of the family are beyond the scope of her training.


3 Confidentiality

It is the moral obligation of a doula to care for the interests of the families with whom she works.
The doula should respect the privacy of the families and keep the confidentiality of any information obtained during the service.
This obligation, which goes beyond the ethics of our profession, refers to the Data Protection Law (LOPD).


4 Transparency

Doulas integrating Doulas in Catalunya Association must clearly define the service offered to clients, the conditions, the scope of the service and the corresponding fees.

The doula will be responsible for her professional diffusion (brochures, cards, blogs, websites… .) promoting clearity her role and to differentiate it from other activities to avoid confusion.
Transparency in our work benefits both sides, prevents misunderstandings and false expectations, providing clarity in the work that we offer.


5 Commitment and availability

The doula assumes a commitment with the services agreed with the family.
If, in cases of force majeure, the doula is unable to continue with the accompaniment on the agreed terms, the possibility of contact with another doula of our collective will be offered, searching for the best possible alternatives.


6 Training
Doulas in Catalunya Association members are responsible for updating their knowledge. We should strive to reach a high and competent level for our professional practice, keeping the best ways for our professional duties. This continuous updating can be done through courses, workshops, lectures, readings, research, and reviewing cases.


7 Respect to other doulas

Doulas will treat with respect, fairness and good faith the rest of doulas, whether they pertain to our collective or other associations/groups.
Between all we take the common task for improving society and of the feminine, a more humane and loving world.



8 Freedom for action

The doula is responsible for her services and fees.
Each doula is unique and, commited to the ethical code of DoulasBarcelona, she focuses her work in the way she feels more suitable for each accompaniment, preserving their freedom, creativity and facilitating additional tools that can help taking decisions freely and consciously.

How to find a doula

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doulascat.org
(Click to know us)

If you are looking for a doula, we recommend you to look at the doula directory available and contact the one you like or the one you think best suits your needs. However, if you are having doubts or difficulties finding one, get in touch with us through the contact email and we will assist you in your search.


• We recommend that you contact the doula of your choice and make a private appointment to assess the level of compatibility and empathy. It’s good to remember that a doula is not another person of the many people who you’ll be in contact with you during this most important process, but a person who will support you and who will be with you through all of the birth process and with whom you will share an emotional bond. It is for this reason that at Doulascat.org we strongly recommend you to go through as many meetings as necessary to find the right person for you.


• During the first meeting with the doula, we suggest that you talk about all of your doubts, fears, options and choices and that you share any information that might contribute to her work. 



Our service

Doulascat.org is a platform for diffusion; therefore we don’t fix any standards for the doulas that appear in it, nor do we receive commission for their work. Every doula will establish her own rate, and allowances can be made in case of genuine hardship. 


Doulas registered with us, believe that the most valuable aspect of our work resides in being flexible and adapting to every woman and her own real needs, which cannot be fixed beforehand and which has to be constantly reassessed, according to how the process is evolving. That's why each doula establishes the way she works and adjusts her availability, to your needs, as she considers approrpiate. 


In the same way, every doula takes full responsibility for her practice, establishes her own rates and arranges mutually her jobs and tasks with the woman she will assist.

Frequently Asked Questions

 FAQ
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What does a doula service include?

Doulas can offer different kinds of support depending on the mother needs.

A birth service includes, as a minimum, two pre-natal meetings (generally within the third trimester), telephonic support from the 38 week, the onset of labour and right through to the end of the birth process ( always with the correspondent medical assistants), as well as two visits during the week following birth. If the doula service is for post-partum, includes several meetings at home, with a frequency and duration established by the mother’s needs and during the 15 days following birth approximately. This is a flexible proposal subject to the mother’s needs and her arrangement with her own doula.




Who substitutes the doula if an unforeseen event takes place during labour?

It is practically impossible to know the exact moment when labour will start. It is for this reason that doulas will arrange for a second doula to be on call as a preventative measure.





Does the Catalan Public Health Service recognise the figure of the doula?

At the present moment the figure of the doula is not recognised by the health system in Catalan Hospitals. Despite this, the role of the doula is becoming more popular and widespread and its acceptance will depend on every particular medical team. Different hospitals have different birth plans and may stick strictly to its regulations.




During a Hospital birth, is the doula allowed to be with the woman? If I’m not allowed to be with her, can I be made to choose between her or my partner?
The current system in Hospitals in Catalunya usually limits the number of people who can be with the mother to one only, who will be choosen by her, without specification to the relationship between them.

The flexibility on this rule varies depending on the Hospital, with some of them allowing only one person with the mother (in which case the mother has to choose who she wants by her side), and others accepting more than one person as long as the birth progresses without any complications.

It is important to know beforehand the Hospital’s birth protocol, to plan accordingly. It is not advisable to add unnecessary stress at the last moment.

The doula´s role is not limited to the moment of birth, but includes the period before and after it. In the event of not being allowed to go into the delivery room, the doula can stay in the waiting room until the baby is born and continue accompanying the mother as long as she might wish.

Is the presence of a doula allowed in a home birth or a Birth Centre?

In a home birth, it is the mother who decides whom she wants to be with during labour, except for medical decisions which are the competence of the midwife or the obstetrician. The presence of a doula is therefore the couple’s decision and one they should discuss beforehand with their midwife.

In a Birth Home or Centre, the doula is generally welcomed and accepted as part of the support system necessary for the mother. Some birth centres even have doulas as part of their team, or require their services on a regular basis.


I have a midwife. Do I also need a doula?

Midwife and doula fulfill different roles, each with their own characteristics, which are not opposed or excluding, but complementing and never a substitute.





I have a doula. Do I also need a midwife?

Absolutely. The midwife is always necessary for birth and the most experienced and qualified person to assist it. In case of giving birth at hospital there is already the pertinent medical team.




What are the doula´s competences? Can she listen to the baby’s heartbeat or perform vaginal examinations?

The competences for a doula basically consist of continuous emotional support for the mother, during labour, the post-partum period and the puerperium at her home.

Doulas from DoulasBarcelona.org follow an ethical code which you can look up in our website.

It is not a doula competence to make medical checks of any kind (vaginal examinations, listening to the baby’s heartbeat, giving medicines, etc.), diagnosis, performing any physical intervention or giving medical advice, even if she is also a medical professional.

Could my partner feel threaten by the presence of a doula during labour and birth or with her presence at home during the post-partum period?



The reason for having a doula is to make things easier. It is the doulas responsability to explain her role clearly so that the partner can understand that he is never replaced.

Usually, the doula is very welcomed by the partner because he can enjoy much more calmly the childbirth and her partner's labour.

It is important that all the decisions taken regarding birth and the post-partum are made by both partners in agreement, even though it is of paramount importance for the mother’s needs to be respected at all times.

The doula joins an intimate event, as the process of childbirth and the fragile family balance following the days after the birth, and her loving and discreet accompaniment to the mother and to other members of the family tends to bring serenity, contentment and confidence in all of them.




I am not going to have a physiological birth because I prefer a standard medicalized birth. Can I still have a doula?

Yes. The doula´s role is to accompany the mother and fulfill her needs during birth, regardless of her choice of birth or her specific beliefs on motherhood.




If I know I will have a caesarean, is there much sense in having a doula?

Yes. The presence of a doula is not limited to a specific choice of birth, or the basis on which a choice is made, be it medical or personal reasons. A doula will accompany any women who needs her or wishes to have her in order to experience this event in the best possible way, both for her and her baby.

How do we accompany women?

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The doula´s main target is to accompany the mother. This is carried out by offering her support free of judgement, caring but non-invasive attention, and most importantly, the open mind needed to understand the real needs of each woman. 


During birth itself, either a at hospital or at home, the doula stays with the mother at all times, discreetly paying attention to her needs. Offering physical support when needed as well as emotional support right through the entire birth process, which is always held by a medical team.


After the birth, the doula will continue to accompany the mother at home, visiting as frequently as previously arranged or needed. She will attend to the mother’s progress and wellbeing as well as, if it is convenient, giving support in domestic chores, caring for her other children and such.

“The value of a doula lies in who she is, more than in what she knows or does.."
(Michel Odent)

Most of the times, the mother finds all the necessary resources to attend to the new born within herself, but sometimes the intensity of the experience, together with the physical exhaustion and the interferences from our own environment make it more difficult to find her own voice; it is in these cases when the main role of the doula is to listen and acknowledge her emotional state, in order to strengthen her innate mothering abilities. This support will allow her to search for her own voice and intuition with confidence and joy.


Our resources

A doula nowadays goes through a training that allows her to:

• Know the physiology of a normal birth.

• Know the physical process and recognise the main difficulties that can appear.

• Understand and support the emotional issues that appear during the puerperium.

• Value the importance of an early bond between mother and baby and how to encourage it.

A doula must

• Understand the physiology of birth, respect its process and time, and protect its intimacy.

• Understand the importance of emotional support for the pregnant woman, in any situation.



• Characterize herself with a discreet attitude, quiet and loving towards the mother.

• Respect scrupulously and at all times the woman’s decisions, even if she decides to continue without her.

• Provide the highest level of wellbeing possible at every moment.

• Prioritize the labouring woman’s needs above anybody else’s. Never to leave her alone, unless required or needed by the woman herself.

• Suggest and encourage the necessary means to aid the bond between mother and baby.

• Refer the mother to other professionals when she has needs beyond the doula's competences.

• Hold an attitude of maximum respect towards medical teams, doctors, midwifes and nurses.

The doula mustn't

• Impose her ideology or her own beliefs on the pregnant woman, neither on how she should experience birth or mothering and bringing up her baby.

• Impose on the pregnant woman any practice that might not be beneficial or pleasant. The doula must never lose sight of the uniqueness of every woman and her needs, and must respect them at all times.

• Perform any tasks that are the competence of the medical profession, even when qualified to do so. A woman acting as a doula doesn’t get involved in obstetrics matters.

• A doula must never go into conflicts with the medical team, neither intervene and never make comments that might be upsetting for the mother. The doula must find a way to support her whatever the situation might be.


You can expect the doula to

• Previously meet the mother, to establish a relationship of trust, honesty and mutual respect. This makes it easier for the doula to know the woman’s options and preferences, her likes and dislikes and any valuable information that will enable the doula to support her better.

• Encourage the mother to listen to herself, to know herself, and to ask for anything she needs at any given moment.

• Be clear about what her role is as well as her limitations.
• Keep and attitude of self observation and serenity.

Who we are

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doulasbarcelona.org are

(Click to know us)

We are women who choose to support other women during all the maternity stages (pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period), driven by the firm conviction that every woman deserves to experience motherhood with respect, support, and a loving environment. We believe that female networks, surrounding such vital periods of motherhood, are necessary to nourish and protect our experience.


We wish to contribute with our effort so that gestation, birth and postpartum can be lived with full consciousness, trust and joy.


Doulasbarcelona.org is a space where doulas from Catalunya who share common views and objectives can have a voice and jointly spread their work. However, each doula takes full responsibility for her own work.


Doulas who belong to DoulasBarcelona must be governed by our code of ethics, which you can check up on this website.


What is our compromise?


Doulas registered with us share basic training on pregnancy, physiological birth, post-natal care, and psychophysical and emotional support for the new mother.

We understand that every woman has the right to be informed about the process of pregnancy, birth and puerperium, as well as the right to be respected in her own personal opinions. We recognise women giving birth and her newborn with absolute respect.

Are you a doula who would like to register with us?

You can contact us through this website or at doulasbarcelona@gmail.com and we will inform you.

Why the need for a doula?

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The challenges and demands of modern life have made it nearly impossible for extended families to live together or nearby, and the family core is a reduced one. As a result, women have lost the female environment that facilitates birth and motherhood.Those women (either another mother, or grandmother or a friend) which use to offer their support, used to be near women and, after giving birth, took care of the mother in order to cover her needs so that she could recover and exclusively dedicate to her baby.

Childbirth has been transferred to the territory of medicine and technology, so families and communities have stopped fulfilling this emotional supporting role.

What is a doula today?

The doula appears as a modern version of this old facilitating female figure, with her loving presence and support during the beginning of motherhood.

A doula is a woman that accompanies other women during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium, taking care of her general wellbeing and needs, particularly the emotional aspect. This can include her partner and other family members as well.

A doula is not medical staff, therefore she doesn't perform clinical tasks (her accompaniment doesn't substitute midwifes or obstetricians)




What we already know

Doulas can accompany women at Hospitals, Birth Centres and homebirths (always with the presence of medical staff). Continuous emotional support and the confidence brought during the entire process have shown to improve and facilitate all the stages of birth and post-partum. It has been observed that women accompanied by a doula tend to experience birth more positively and have more confidence and security, which in turn benefits the mother-baby bond.