What Do All These Doula Terms Mean? A BADT Glossary and Guide

We have a wide range of offerings at BADT, and in the world of care work, there are endless ways that folks are showing up for one another! If you’re confused about the different types of doula work, we will clear that up today!

First and foremost, a doula offers nonjudgmental space for the client to process; share wishes, preferences, and needs; seek additional information; and establish rapport and trust. No matter what, a doula is support for a client. This is the foundation of the work.

The origins of doula work are community-based, and while we see great value in organized trainings, such as the ones we offer, we also know that care work is done in community and folks may come to this work organically or as an apprentice.

Please note that this glossary is informed by BADT values and offerings.

Glossary

Abortion Doula:

A doula who supports folks who are exploring or seeking abortion healthcare. Support ranges from helping folks understand laws in their state, to finding pills by mail, to accompanying the birthing person through a medical or in-clinic abortion, to offering postpartum support.

Check out these related blogs to learn more: 

• What Does an Abortion Doula Do?

• Abortion Aftercare Tips

Find our US course here and our Canada course here!

Birth Doula:

A doula who supports birthing families through the perinatal period – prenatally, through labor/birth, and postpartum. To be honest, at large, we see a lack of support during the postpartum period, and one of our criticisms of mainstream doula trainings and services is the lack of ongoing support after birth. Additionally, anyone who is a birth doula should be prepared to support families through loss (see loss doula below).

Check out these related blogs to learn more: 

• 8 Key Ways Doulas can Support Cesarean Births

Childbirth Educator:

A birth worker (may or may not be a doula) who offers education for the perinatal period – from pregnancy through postpartum. 

Check out these related blogs to learn more: 

• 4 Ways to Use Childbirth Educator Training in the Real World

• Why Full Spectrum and Childbirth Educator Trainings Are Better Together

Death/Loss Doula:

A death doula supports folks and their family/community through the transition of death. Some birth workers specifically offer support for birthing people who are experiencing loss. Pregnancy loss can include miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. 

Check out these related blogs to learn more: 

• Supporting Folx During Pregnancy Loss

• 5 Ways to Show Up for Grief and Loss as a Birth Worker and Beyond

• An Honest Exploration of the Work of a Death Doula

BADT’s Founder and Lead teacher, Sabia, writes and speaks a lot about death work. Find a few of her resources here:

• Why Birth Work Must Include Death and Loss Work (blog)

• What Actually Is Estate Planning and How Can Doulas Help? (podcast)

Fertility and Conception Doula:

A doula who supports folks who are thinking about/planning to or actively trying to conceive. Support can range from discussing options for getting pregnant or having a child, to imagining what parenthood means, to researching clinics, to offering resources for navigating early pregnancy.

Check out these related blogs to learn more: 

• BADT Teachers Answer: What is Preconception Doula Support?

Full-spectrum Doula (FSD):

A doula who supports birthing people and families through a range of reproductive experiences and life transitions. At BADT, this is our foundational training, our first offering, and the work that we have built our organization around. Our FSD training aligns with the values of Reproductive Justice, and works to be anti-oppressive and liberation-focused. (This is much, much more than a birth doula training, to say the least!)

Check out these related blogs to learn more: 

• Your FAQs About Full-Spectrum Doula Training Answered

• Everything You Want to Know about Full Spectrum Doula Work

• The Importance of Doulas in the Reproductive Justice Space

• How I Became a Doula: Inspiration from the BADT team

Postpartum Doula:

A doula who supports folks in their postpartum period, which is the time immediately after pregnancy. The first 3-4 months after pregnancy are typically the most critical, but postpartum doulas may offer longer-term support, focused on tending to the birthing person, their recovery, and when applicable, supporting the family in adjusting to life with baby. Postpartum doulas may work with families who are going through adoption or surrogacy (either the birthing person and/or the adoptive/intended parents), folks who accessed abortion healthcare, and folks who gave birth and are parenting.

Check out these related blogs to learn more: 

• What a Postpartum Doula Really Does

Other types of doulas we are excited about:

• Nourishment doulas: A doula who nourishes people through their reproductive journeys. Check out Bree Hope’s piece all about it here!

• Gender doulas: A doula who supports people in exploring their gender identity, coming out, and/or transition. Check out Eli Lawliet’s work here!

• Post-op doula: A doula who supports folks in preparing for and navigating recovery after a surgery. Court, a BADT team member, is offering gender-affirming surgery support!

Join Us in Community

We’d love for you to join us in the BADT community! Sign up for our email list if you’re a birth worker or aspiring birth worker, so you’ll be first to hear about new courses, open enrollment periods, and scholarship opportunities.