Our services
What is a Doula?
The custom of women supporting women through childbirth has deep roots in human cultures around the world. In more recent times, as the birth process became more medicalized in the United States and other “developed” nations, we lost touch with that nurturing support, and several generations of women have given birth feeling unsupported and disempowered. Over the last 20 years, doulas have stepped in to fill that gap, “mothering the mother” and providing compassionate, non-judgmental support to women and their families throughout the childbearing year.
Traditionally, doulas in their modern incarnation have served women and their families during childbirth and the postpartum periods, providing physical, emotional, and informational support during labor and in the immediate period after birth. At Cascadia, we believe that while not all pregnancies end in birth or parenting, all pregnancies deserve doula support, and therefore have expanded our scope of doula care to include support around abortion, adoption and pregnancy loss. We trust in women’s abilities to make decisions about their bodies, their health care, and their paths to parenthood, and see doulas as a valuable resource for women, no matter what their pregnancy experience may be.
At Cascadia, we offer traditional labor and postpartum support, as well as full spectrum support around abortion, adoption and pregnancy loss.