World Doula Week is coming!
Every year, from March 22nd to March 28th, the global birth community comes together to celebrate World Doula Week—a time to recognise and appreciate the invaluable role that doulas play in supporting families during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. This special week highlights the impact of doula care and spreads awareness about the many benefits of having a doula as part of the birth journey.
How Did World Doula Week Start?
The World Doula Week initiative started as World Doula Day on 22nd March 2011. It was started by Ruth Karen Horowitz, a birth activist from Israel, initially to promote doula services more locally. Ruth asked CAPPA to join the project and things took off from there to help raise awareness on doula support and its benefits globally.
What is World Doula Week About?
World Doula Week was established to acknowledge the positive contributions doulas make to birth outcomes, emotional well-being, and overall family support. It is a time to educate communities about the importance of continuous, compassionate care during one of life’s most transformative experiences. Through events, discussions, and celebrations, doulas and families come together to share stories, offer resources, and advocate for greater access to doula support worldwide.
The theme of World Doula Week often focuses on empowerment, inclusivity, and informed decision-making—core values that doulas embody in their work. Whether supporting a first-time parent, guiding a family through postpartum recovery, or assisting in a peaceful hypnobirth, doulas provide unwavering reassurance and care when it is needed most.
The theme of World Doula Week for 2025 is ‘Doulas Leading With Heart’
The Benefits of World Doula Week
So why run World Doula Week? I’ve been a doula in Sydney for 8 years now and I had doula support for my own births over 20 years ago. But still I would say that doula support is more of an emerging service in Australia rather than a mainstream offering or a very common part of the team for families. So there’s still lots of work to do in terms of raising awareness of the benefits and access to a doulas services.
1. Raising Awareness About Doula Support
Internationally many people are still unfamiliar with the role of a doula or how they can benefit from their support during any part of their pregnancy, birth and postpartum. World Doula Week provides an opportunity to educate families, healthcare professionals, and communities about the many ways doulas enhance the birth and postpartum experience for families. More awareness means more families can make informed choices about their support system.
2. Celebrating the Positive Impact of Doulas
Research consistently shows that continuous doula support leads to better birth outcomes, including reduced intervention rates, increased birth satisfaction, and improved postpartum recovery. By celebrating doulas, World Doula Week highlights these powerful statistics and the difference that compassionate support can make.
3. Encouraging Connection and Community
Being a doula can be an isolating profession. We connect a lot with our clients but professional connection can be hard to come by. This week is an opportunity for doulas, birth workers, and families to connect and share experiences. It fosters a sense of community and solidarity with each other, reminding expectant parents that they are not alone in their journey. Whether through online discussions, workshops, or in-person gatherings, World Doula Week brings people together to support and uplift one another.
4. Advocating for More Accessible Doula Services
One of the goals of World Doula Week is to advocate for increased access to doula support for all families, regardless of background or financial status. Many international initiatives focus on making doula care more widely available through funding programs, hospital collaborations, and policy changes. By shining a light on the need for equitable birth support, World Doula Week contributes to long-term improvements in maternal care. This aspect is a little more relevant in countries other than Australia but raising awareness and accessibility may provoke some change here and as doulas become more mainstream some health care providers could fold in having a doula as part of the team.
5. Inspiring More People to Become Doulas
For those passionate about birth work, World Doula Week can be an inspiring time to consider becoming a doula. By showcasing real-life stories and the incredible difference doulas make, this celebration encourages more individuals to enter the field and provide essential support to families in need.
How to Get Involved
Share Your Story: Whether you’ve had a doula support your birth or you are a doula yourself, sharing personal experiences can inspire others to seek or offer this kind of support.
Attend Events and Workshops: Many doulas and birth organisations host events during this week to spread awareness and provide resources to expecting families.
Support Local Doulas: If you know a doula, take a moment to show appreciation for their work. A simple thank you can go a long way in acknowledging their dedication. So go ahead and tag them or text them, I know they’ll appreciate it.
Advocate for Doula Care: Use social media, blogs, or community discussions to spread awareness about the benefits of doula support and why it should be more accessible.
Celebrating the Power of Support
World Doula Week is more than just a celebration—it is a movement that reinforces the importance of compassionate, informed, and continuous care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Whether you are expecting, a birth worker, or simply an advocate for better birth experiences, this week is a chance to honour the essential role doulas play in supporting families through one of life’s most profound transitions.
So let’s celebrate the power of doulas and continue working toward a world where every family has access to the support they deserve!