The Wise Woman Doula
At the Midwifery Today conference with two Wise Women sisters from Lithuania and Russia.
In 1999, as a student midwife, I read two books that changed everything for me: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun Weed, and Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. Alongside these were the works of anthropologist Robbie Davis-Floyd who named the technocratic model of care in which I was learning and the holistic model that I strived to practice. These each created a foundation for the midwifery that resonated in my bones and their words gave shape to an approach that still anchors my work today: the Holistic Wise Woman model.
The Holistic Doula Model
A key influence in my work is the model proposed by anthropologist Robbie Davis-Floyd, which outlines three paradigms of childbirth care: the technocratic, humanistic, and holistic models. This framework helps us understand the deeper cultural roots of how we approach pregnancy and birth.
The technocratic model sees the body as a machine, often prioritising control and intervention.
The humanistic model softens this by recognising emotions and individuality, yet still tends to operate within the same institutional systems.
The holistic model—where my work is rooted—goes further. It recognises the interconnectedness of body, mind and spirit, and holds the woman or birthing person as the expert in themselves.
Below are the key concepts within the Holistic Model as defined by Robbie Davis Floyd:
Oneness of body, mind and spirit
The body as an energy sytem interlinked with other systems
Healing the whole person in whole life context
Essential unity of practitioner and client
Diagnosis and healing from the inside out
Individualised care
Authority and responsibility inerent in each individual
Science and technology placed in the service of the individual
A long term focus on creating and maintaining health and wellbeing
Death as a step in the process
Healing as the focus
Embrace of multiple healing modalities
The technocratic, humanistic, and holistic paradigms of childbirth. 2001. R. Davis-Floyd, International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 75 2001. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
The Wise Woman Path to Birth
The Wise Woman approach is nestled inside the Holistic Model. Susun Weed wrote about the Six Steps of Healing, starting with ‘Doing Nothing’ and working incrementally towards medical intervention.
We acknowledge the body’s energy systems, the power of intuition, the value of herbs and nourishment, and the importance of long-term wellbeing. It also respects the place of science and medicine but not as the first response. Instead, we begin with presence, relationship, and tuning in. That’s the foundation from which I teach, and it’s the lineage I honour. It stands in contrast to the dominant technocratic model that sees the body as a machine and something to be managed from the outside. By the experts. The Wise Woman sees the pregnant woman or person as whole. THEY are the expert in themselves and of their own body and baby. Not a problem to be fixed, but a being to be nourished and supported as they intuitively look within to discover their own healing needs.
I have adapted this as a pathway for my students, to guide us in holding space for clients in pregnancy.
“This is not about rejecting the system. It’s about reclaiming our wholeness.”
Importantly it doesn’t reject medical intervention.. I worked in the medical system for over 20 years and recognise the value of medical support used well: treating pre-eclampsia, reducing stillbirth, responding to postpartum haemorrhage.
But what happens when those tools become the first step instead of the last?
When the only answer for concerns around a baby that may not be growing optimally is to just keep scanning and then induce? Rather than first asking: what does this baby need? Do we need to look at nutrition or stress reduction? We explore all this inside the doula course.
I have taken the Wise Woman approach and adapted it for birthkeeping and midwifery; giving us a beautfiful pathway with which to support our clients. It asks birthworkers to take responsibility: to study, learn, understand physiology, and to walk in integrity, knowing their own sphere of practice and boundaries.
It’s for those who understand that holding space for pregnancy and birth begins with trusting the body, honouring the unknown, and staying deeply rooted in our values, whilst at the same time recognise the benefits possible in medical care.As a birthkeeper you won’t have all the tools along the path but that’s where we can signpost someone. We hold space for them without judgement instead of advice giving; we may be the only person in their life doing that for them. Reminding them to take time to tune out the noise, and tune into their baby. To gently explore what is coming up, to slow down and nourish themselves and their baby. And then maybe look at ways complementary therapies could support them.
Even in labour we don’t jump in with a solution. Labour slows? You rest. No nipple twiddling and stair climbing as a first intervention. A good birthkeeper knows when a labour might need extra support such as positions and biomechanics but again it’s not routine for every birth.
The Wise Woman knows how to walk the journey with someone; through pregnancy, into labour and beyond. She might know some tricks and tips but she keeps them tucked away for the rainy day. She drinks tea intelligently and knits in the corner.
Because ultimately they will say ‘I did it myself’.
