By Ânia Freitas

This year, the European Doula Network (EDN) Conference was held in Lille, France, thanks to the incredible collaboration between French EDN members: Doulas de France, Postnatal Support Network, Ecole Yoga Doula, Annuaire Doula, Doulas de Lunes, Envol et Matrescence, AFMAN, and Collectif Doulas Radicales. The theme was “Stronger Together.” I was able to attend on behalf of Doula UK as the EDN Rep.

The event began with a warm and heartfelt opening ceremony. We were called to the stage, country by country, to offer a piece of home — something connected to life and nature, like a flower, thread, or a vial of water. Each of us received a piece of red thread, which we helped each other tie on to symbolise our connection and intention for the weekend. An altar was created with all these offerings, staying on display throughout the event alongside past symbols from previous gatherings, like the fabric umbilical cord from last year in Madrid and a shawl.

After the opening ceremony, we dove into various workshops and sessions. Some highlights from day one included:

• Yoga/meditation: Cantering ourselves before/after meeting families

• Connect and meet new doulas

• Agility and self-cantering workshop for doulas

• Pussies’ stories (a show)

We ended the first day with an amazing dinner where we shared stories about our countries and experiences, building deeper connections.

Day 2
We kicked off early with another day full of powerful sessions, covering both serious topics and more relaxed, heart-cantered moments:

• European doula practice & legal responsibility

• Erasmus+ for advanced doula training

• End of Life and Social Doulas

• Water around maternity

• Cultural Appreciation vs. Cultural Appropriation

• Rediscovering European traditions around birth and breastfeeding

• Postpartum challenges for families

• Blindsight Journey (with blindfolded eyes)

The second day was intense and full of learning. There were so many incredible sessions, I couldn’t attend them all! The final session, a meeting, was particularly emotional as we heard from our sister Olga Vereshchak from the Semitsvit Center in Dnipro, Ukraine. She sent a heartfelt letter, expressing gratitude but also the sad news that they would be leaving EDN due to the ongoing war. It was truly moving.

Day 3
The last day was a bit lighter, as many participants began to depart. We wrapped up with a beautiful closing ceremony where everyone wrote a word, phrase, or feeling to sum up the weekend. All these reflections were collected in a book that will be passed on to the organizers of EDN 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was an emotional and heartfelt end to a powerful weekend.

I would like to share this text from the French EDN members, that sums very well the whole weekend and or purpose as a doula:

“We are human, we all have shadows, and there is no small value in giving others the benefit of the doubt when mistakes may have been made or misunderstandings may have arisen.

Listening is a doula superpower and is even more important when the subject area is one that makes us uncomfortable. Only through listening respectfully, and reflecting on our own biases and judgements can we begin to see things from other perspectives and have a chance of developing greater understanding and capacity for greater compassion.

Doulas can usually pride themselves for their emotional intelligence and capacity to learn from some of the most challenging situations a human being may face. Let’s use this capacity for strength through humility also when dealing with each other and finding a way through difficulties.

There is already too much terrible conflict in the world, let’s not bring conflict into the doula world too.

Finding pathways to respect, despite our differences, reflects our core values, which help us bring out the best in our common humanity.

We are stronger together.” – Shared at the Opening Ceremony of EDN 2024: Lille, France.

This event was organised by a fantastic team of francophone EDN member organisations from the whole of France and beyond, showing how strong we an be when we are together.

After this incredible experience, I truly hope that next year more doulas from the UK and Ireland can join me in Vilnius, Lithuania. It’s the most amazing event for connection, learning, and growing together as a community!