the gujarati doula: reclaiming What india always knew
- Pooja Mistry
- Sep 8
- 3 min read
When people hear the word doula, many assume it’s a Western concept. Something imported. Something new. Something "alternative."But the truth is, the doula has always existed—especially in India.
She just wasn’t called a doula.
She was your kaki, your masi, your neighbour, the dai, the woman from your village who knew what a birthing woman needed long before birth plans or obstetric charts existed. She came quietly, stayed close, watched your breath, held space, massaged your tired feet, whispered encouragement, and didn’t leave after the baby arrived. She stayed, cooked, wrapped you in hot oils and healing words.
That is doula work. And it is deeply, beautifully Indian.
india: the original home of woman- centred birth
India’s approach to birth has always been spiritual, physiological, and social.
In Vedic and Ayurvedic texts, pregnancy and birth were seen as sacred transitions. A birthing woman was not left alone or rushed—she was held by other women, in spaces filled with mantras, warm oils, ritual food, herbal knowledge, and deep presence.
This is echoed in:
Garbh Sanskar – the ancient practice of nurturing baby and mother emotionally and spiritually during pregnancy through music, mantra, and visualisation.
Sutak / Jaappa/ Suvavur – the postpartum rest period, where the new mother is cared for by other women while she rests, bonds, and heals.
Dai – traditional midwives who supported birth with wisdom passed down through generations, free of clocks and clinical settings.
Every Gujarati family once had stories of the dai, of home births attended by sisters and aunties, of rituals passed down like heirlooms.
This is what the modern “doula movement” is now trying to revive.
and then came colonisation
British colonial rule didn’t just take resources—it dismantled culture. It labelled Indian birth practices as primitive, unsafe, and in need of replacement. Traditional dais were pushed out, discredited, and replaced with Western medical structures that prioritised control, sterility, and documentation over intuition and presence.
By the early 20th century, birth in India began to shift from the home to the hospital. From woman-led to doctor-led. From sacred to scheduled.
The doula disappeared—not because she wasn’t needed, but because she was made invisible.
the western "rediscovery" of doula work
Fast forward to the West today—where doulas are now being praised for lowering intervention rates, improving maternal mental health, and supporting physiological birth. Studies show that continuous support in labour:
Reduces Caesarean rates
Increases satisfaction with birth
Decreases the need for pain relief
(Source: Cochrane Review, 2017)
But for those of us with Indian roots, this is not news. We’ve always known the power of support. We’ve always had doulas—we just didn’t call them that.
reclaiming the role of the indian doula
When I work with pregnant women today as The Gujarati Doula, I don’t feel like I’m doing something modern. I feel like I’m remembering something ancient.
I bring my ancestors into every birth space. I hold the wisdom of my grandmothers’ kitchens and oil lamps and postpartum rituals. I honour the practices of suva nu paani, katlu, fenugreek ladoos, belly binding, and gentle massage. I remind mothers that birth is not a clinical procedure—it’s a rite of passage.
My doula work is not rebellion—it’s reclamation.
the pain of cultural amnesia
It breaks my heart when I see Indian families mistrust their own traditions. When they hesitate to invest in support but happily splurge on things. When they believe birth has to be painful, medical, or feared—because the old ways were never explained.
We were taught how to do things, but often not why. So we started to trust systems over ourselves. But it’s not too late to remember.
Colonisation erased many things—but it could never take our spirit.
Doula work was born in India, in our homes, in our rituals, in our communities. We don’t need to borrow it back—we just need to reclaim it.
Whether you're Gujarati, Tamil, Punjabi, or from anywhere across our beautiful motherland…Whether you’re birthing in Leicester, London, or Lucknow…This wisdom belongs to you.
You deserve to feel safe. Held. Listened to. You deserve a birth where your voice matters.
So let’s remember what we always knew. Let’s stop calling it alternative—and start calling it ancestral.
And if you’re ready to birth with tradition, with reverence, and with a doula who holds your heritage in her heart…I’d be honoured to walk that path with you.
Pooja xo
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