European Doula Network launches new website

What an inspiring and humbling day I spent at the French doulas convention in Paris last weekend, and what a huge amount of work had gone into organising the event.  Thank you to everyone at Doulas de France!

with BB and Valerie D

Around 75 doulas gathered, principally from France but also from Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, UK, Hungary and Canada, to learn from and share with each other through presentations, workshops and displays. I had the pleasure (and agony!) of kicking off the Friday morning session with a presentation on Gentle Birth Companions, then Quebec based doula Isabelle Challut explained the interesting position of local midwives and how her role has developed in Canada. 

 This was followed by the official launch of the new European Doula Network website, presented by Swiss doulas Regula Brunner and Sabine Lanfranchi, an exciting development for doulas in Europe!

When it came to workshops, I felt drawn to the Théâtre Forum - "improvised role play emerging from conflictive situations around childbirth" - led by Anne Bonno and Charlotte Marchandise, even though it was held in French. My Doula UK sister Bridget Baker bravely joined me and I/we still learned plenty, managing to share some thoughts nonetheless! It was very moving to hear how the French doulas are suffering from strong opposition from the medical profession, including the midwives, and even more shocking, to realise how unsupported mothers and fathers are during childbirth when they choose to follow the natural process. 

Birthing families in France SO need doulas!  

European Doula Network meeting

And in Italy too, I learnt that there is huge resistance to lay birth companions. These doulas badly need support and encouragement from those of us who are working under less restrictive circumstances and where a doula organisation has been present in our country for longer. The challenges we face in UK certainly felt small in comparison! 

The European Doula Network seems set to provide a forum from which local doula organisations can offer support to and share skills, knowledge and understanding with each other across Europe however, a platform which is greatly needed if we are to unite and grow together. With its own Code of Ethics in the pipeline, papers/articles and other resources listed plus a members forum, the EDN looks like the place to be found virtually lurking in doula world right now!