For maternity hospitals and care teams: doula Katerina
Who Katerina is as a doula, what she does and doesn’t do, and which admission documents are provided for by Santa Catarina state law.
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In short
Katerina, a doula and perinatal educator from Florianópolis, gives a woman in labor physical, informational and emotional support and helps her communicate with the team in Russian and Portuguese. A doula performs no medical procedures (Lei 15.381/2026, art. 4). Santa Catarina’s Lei SC 16.869/2016 governs admission: below, the document list and a request to facilities.
Who is Katerina?
Katerina is a doula and perinatal educator who lives and works in Florianópolis. She completed a course for doulas and perinatal educators (Ama Nascer, 60 hours, October 2025) and speaks Russian and Portuguese. She works with Russian-speaking families: she supports a woman in labor and, when the woman and the medical team have no common language, helps them understand each other. This is help with communication, not an official translation of documents.
Katerina is not a doctor, a midwife or a nurse. More about her: “About Katerina”.
What does a doula do?
The law describes a doula as a professional who gives physical, informational and emotional support during pregnancy, birth and afterwards, especially in labor (Lei 15.381/2026, art. 2). Among a doula’s tasks under the law (art. 4):
- helping the pregnant woman find information on pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period based on current scientific evidence;
- encouraging the pregnant woman to attend prenatal care at a health facility;
- supporting the woman in labor, including in choosing comfortable positions;
- explaining non-drug ways of easing pain and applying them: massage, a warm shower or bath, warm compresses;
- helping with breathing and voice;
- keeping a calm, private atmosphere;
- encouraging the involvement of the companion the woman has chosen;
- supporting newborn care and breastfeeding.
What a doula does not do
A doula is forbidden to use medical equipment, perform medical, physiotherapy and nursing procedures, give medication and interfere in the technical procedures of health workers (Lei 15.381/2026, art. 4, parágrafo único, the unnumbered paragraph). Santa Catarina law also forbids doulas to perform medical, clinical and nursing procedures (Lei SC 16.869/2016, art. 2).
A doula’s presence does not replace a companion (Lei SC, art. 1, § 2; Lei 15.381, art. 6, § 1): a woman’s right to a companion of her choice is established separately, in art. 19-J of law 8.080/1990 as amended by Lei 14.737/2023.
A doula also does not replace the work of the medical team (Lei 15.381, art. 6, § 5). Decisions about medical care are made by the facility’s team.
How does admission to a facility work?
Santa Catarina state law 16.869/2016 requires public and private maternity hospitals, birth centers (casas de parto) and similar facilities to admit a doula for the whole of labor and the immediate postpartum period if the woman requests it. A doula’s presence creates neither costs nor an employment relationship for the facility (art. 1). The law defines a doula as a woman’s chosen female companion who gives continuous support and has completed a course for this purpose (§ 1, occupational classification CBO 3221-35).
The facility sets the admission procedure itself, taking into account ethical norms, competence and internal rules; the doula presents these documents (art. 1, § 3):
| Document | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Carta de apresentação (a letter of introduction) | The doula’s full name, address, CPF and RG numbers, phone and email |
| A copy of an official photo ID | The doula’s identity document |
| A description of methods | The procedures and techniques the doula will use in labor and the first hours afterwards, and a plan of action for the period of support |
| Termo de autorização (consent) | Signed by the woman: allows the doula to take part in the birth and the postpartum period |
Federal law 15.381/2026, in force since April 9, 2026, establishes a doula’s presence in public and private maternity hospitals, birth centers and similar facilities at the pregnant woman’s request (art. 6) and does not impose on the facility such obligations as paying the doula or an employment relationship with her (art. 6, § 3). The requirements for doulas’ training are set separately by the law (art. 3).
What Katerina asks of a facility
- to tell her the procedure for admitting doulas: to whom and in what form documents should be submitted and how long before the birth;
- to name a contact person or an email address for advance coordination;
- to send in advance any internal rules that concern a doula’s presence, including in the operating room and intensive care, if there are such rules.
What we don’t guarantee
This page does not promise admission to a particular facility and does not replace the facility’s internal rules or the decisions of its medical team. The law sets the general framework, and each facility determines the admission procedure.
When you need a lawyer
If admission is disputed, and also if a dispute concerns the parties’ responsibility, payment or an employment relationship, legal advice or a referral to the competent body is needed: this page does not replace them.
What else to read
On how doula support works: “Doula support for birth”. On Florianópolis maternity hospitals: “Florianópolis maternity hospitals”. For expectant mothers there is the guide “Birth rights and doulas in Brazil”.
Important
The information is general and current as of October 3, 2026. Each facility determines the admission procedure. This is not legal advice. More: “Legal notice”.
Admission document set
For each woman in labor, Katerina assembles in advance the set that state law provides for: a letter of introduction, a photo ID document, a description of her methods and the woman’s consent. The set is coordinated with your facility’s procedure.
A sample set can be requested from Katerina.
A question from a facility
Write by email or messenger: we’ll discuss the admission procedure and send a sample document set.