The History of Death Doulas Part II: The hospice movement
The hospice movement has had a global impact, with organizations and hospice services established in many countries. However, access to hospice and palliative care remains uneven across different regions due to healthcare disparities and varying cultural attitudes towards death and dying.
Death doulas operate within these diverse cultural contexts quite well. We adapt our services to meet the unique needs and preferences of our clients and their inner circles. This cultural sensitivity contributes to the evolution of our role and its acceptance in various communities, especially the marginalized.
Supporting choices and voices in birth: Ciara’s “why”
I am pursuing this work because I believe in the power of community and the importance of nurturing a woman's voice and choices during the birthing process.
Supporting women in birthing not only new life but new versions of themselves, and seeing them reclaim their strength and intuition, inspires me every day. I feel called to be a part of that process, providing care, guidance, and a compassionate presence in those sacred moments.
The HeartWay Training: Embracing Life by Honoring Death
The HeartWay of California, USA offers an in-depth training that takes place over the course of 18 months both online and in person. Students explore the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of death and dying. Janice told me that there were many highlights to the course. Students brought a special item to place on the altar during the in-person retreat. There was time to reflect, practice yoga, and connect with nature. One practical highlight was when integrative oncologist Daniel Vicario of San Diego came to speak about cancer treatments and what cancer patients experience with different medications.
Learning how to support people at the end of life: Lori’s experience
The Global Doula Project awarded Lori McCole-Mazur a full scholarship in 2023 to complete End of Life Doula training at the University of Vermont.
Lori is a born helper, listener, and encourager. After supporting families at the beginning of life as a nanny, Lori realized that she could use the same skills at the end of life. After all, there are a lot of similarities. Both at the beginning of life as well as at the end, there’s usually confusion, lack of sleep, practical work to be done and decisions to be made, all while trying to keep our heads above water in a flood of emotion. The Global Doula Project is proud to support Lori and people like her on their journey to become doulas. We need more doulas in this world. We need more helpers and listeners. Birth and death are both roads that no one should travel alone.
The History of Death Doulas: Emergence and Training
As a practicing death doula, I don’t see my role as a guide. I’m not there to fix anything. Rather, I’m hired to educate care teams and support a peaceful and meaningful transition, focusing on my client’s emotional and spiritual needs. I often tell them I cannot promise anything, except they’re not alone.
Stop saying “health disparities” when it’s really obstetric racism
“We’re gonna stop calling these things disparities because they’re not disparities. It’s obstetric violence and obstetric racism that are the problems for maternal health care and black maternal health care specifically. They are disguised as something else so [the racism] is not addressed and called a spade a spade.
Why I am becoming and End-of-Life Doula
What happens? Is it painful? Is it scary? What happens to the people left behind? Where does your soul go? Does your soul go anywhere at all?? I have always been inquisitive by nature, but in this particularly, I NEED to know. I NEED to know how to help, what to do to make the transition for those who are about to depart from this world peaceful, and without fear, as their soul leaves their earthly form and into their celestial one.
Why are death doulas so important?
By actively listening and understanding my client’s needs, I help them prepare mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically for the inevitable, creating end-of-life rituals and facilitating important conversations with loved ones and doctors.
Support is not a luxury: How the Momager Collective in Virginia is making doula support accessible to all
The Momager Co of Virginia was founded by Taja Iglesias and is working towards making birth and postpartum support accessible to marginalized communities.
After a traumatic first birth, I hired a doula for my second
My family doctor, who had been at my first birth and knew what I wanted to avoid, suggested a doula. We were not well-off; but, we found an amazing doula through our local doula association. She was the perfect fit for our family. I measured big during my pregnancy. It concerned my doctor and she brought up Cesarean section. Thankfully, with my doula's support, I knew I could birth a 10 lb baby (if that would be the case). Our doula constantly checked in via phone. We had great visits as well. She supported all our wishes.
How death doulas support the dying and their families too
But death doulas offer much more than a calm presence and a helping hand with funeral arrangements. They support the dying by making sure their voices are heard and their wishes are honored. They support the family by educating on the dying process, creating a plan for the moment of death (also called vigil planning), and facilitating much needed conversations between family members.
How one doula collective in Memphis is addressing the black maternal health crisis
Naturally Nurtured Birth Services of Memphis, TN are making a difference in their community, one family at a time.
End-of-Life Doulas are there to walk you home
My job is to help the dying person figure out how they want to experience death and how they wish to allow others to experience their death.
The myth of the “super” parent
We all know that “super” parents don’t really exist. But why are we still striving to do all the things?