As a Black mother-to-be, Aredella McCain knew that the statistics for African American women giving birth in the U.S. are troubling. In 2021, there were 69.9 deaths per 100,000 births among Black women, up from 37.3 in 2018. Among white women, the maternal death rate was 26.6, up from 14.9. African Americans and members of other marginalized communities are more likely also to suffer from post-partum depression, post-pregnancy complications, and feel that they are unheard during the prenatal and birthing process. They are more likely to have C-sections, low birthweight babies, and preterm babies. 

What can make a difference is a trained doula: a birthing companion with knowledge of prenatal care, birth, and postnatal care. While not a medical professional–they are not licensed–they can have a profound impact on birth outcomes. According to the Doula Foundation, mothers who have doula assistance are 50% less likely to have a premature baby, 36% less likely to have a low birthweight baby, and 33% more likely to initiate breastfeeding. 

McCain, of St. Louis, has given birth twice with the help of a doula, the first of which turned out to be a learning experience about how to make the most of the assistance a doula can offer. For her first experience with childbirth, in 2020, McCain worked with a doula employed by the hospital, but McCain feels the team didn’t prepare enough for what was to come. “I should have taken the time to prep and practice with her prior to game day. We would have benefitted from going over what to expect and support measures for both my husband and I outside of the birthing class required by the hospital,” McCain said in an interview. “Everything was so intense, and labor was stalled for hours, resulting in interventions which I know now could have been avoided with mental and physical preparation as well as more hands-on support.”

For her second birth, McCain found a birth doula through Stork Club, a family-building and reproductive-health benefit solution. Stork Club extends traditional employer-sponsored benefits to provide access to support, personalized guidance, high-performing medical care, and a network of providers.

McCain’s experience improved dramatically. “My second doula was hands-on, months prior to delivery. She visited our home, helped to progress labor, kept me moving, and gave comfort measures when I needed it the most. She also visited postpartum. I felt like my second birth was more rewarding because not only was the experience much quicker, I was not acting or making decisions out of desperation. I felt in control of my body.”

The Stork Club doula was willing to learn to accommodate McCain’s wishes. McCain used hypnotic birth practices for both deliveries, but it was a new concept for her Stork Club doula. “She took the time to research and support me in my practice, which made a great difference. The end result was exactly what I hoped for, an unmedicated birth.”

The Stork Club Birth Doula Program is designed not just to provide individualized care, but also to be easy to use. The pregnant individual is matched with a primary and back-up birth doula early in the pregnancy to ensure a long-term relationship. They can talk as much as needed via phone, text, or email. By week 37, they have developed a birth plan that meets the individual’s values and preferences. They also discuss what to expect during three, 90-minute visits, so the person giving birth feels prepared and supported. 

As delivery approaches, the doula is on call 24/7 to be available for in-labor room support, where they will help the person giving birth with breathing techniques and provide emotional support. Following birth, there is a two-hour, post-birth visit where the doula provides coaching on infant feeding, emotional, and physical recovery. Later on, a postpartum visit focuses on coping skills.

First-time mom Portia Feeny says she wanted to have a doula present throughout the birthing process to provide the support and guidance that doctors and nurses are too busy to provide. “I also wanted someone that could help me advocate for myself if I was too tired or overwhelmed to follow the plan that I originally wanted,” she said.

Feeny, of Greer, S.C., said she wanted a natural childbirth and knew that statistics show doulas lower the chance of surgical interventions. As her delivery stalled, however, the doula helped her try several birthing positions, encouraged periods of rest, and when the decision was made that she needed a C-section, the doula advocated for Feeny and her husband to have a few minutes alone together before going to the OR. She stayed at Feeny’s side throughout the procedure. “She helped me mentally to cope with not having my ideal birth. I had someone there that helped me try everything to push me along until we had literally exhausted all of our options.”

One of the keys to the positive impact from the Stork Club’s birth doula program is ensuring all the doulas have adequate training, says Jeni Mayorskaya, Stork Club’s founder and CEO. All of Stork Club’s doulas are certified through respected programs. “We coach on consistency of clinical practice,” Mayorskaya said. “We insist they be proactive, supportive, and empathetic. Our doulas don’t just wait for calls, they initiate them.”

While ensuring that a company’s benefits actually help its employees and their families is reason enough to have a doula program, there are also returns on the investment for the employer as well. Jesse Remer, a certified birth and postpartum doula and international doula trainer, helped to create the Stork Club doula program. “It is one of the most implementable, economical, and ethical investments a company can implement to make a difference in employee work/life balance, retention, and mental health,” she says. “Doulas are one of the most innovative and evidence-based practices.”

By helping to address health inequities, they can be a strong part of a company’s efforts toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). By improving the mental health of mothers and their partners, doula programs can help to reduce absenteeism, burnout, and turnover. And they can lower healthcare costs, making it a dollar-positive investment. 

“Over 40 years ago, [the renowned pediatrician] John Kennell said that if a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it,” said Remer. “Expanding a family is a forever commitment, and all the transitions that come with a new baby are deeply impactful. Doulas hold parents’ hands across the perinatal threshold with continuous support. By reducing the more traumatic impacts of childbirth–major abdominal surgery, pre-term labor and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, for instance–doulas reduce the barriers to the parental recovery required to return to work as productive humans,” Remer said. “Doulas help practicalities of everything from feeding to sleep routines to organization in the 4th trimester. It’s common sense that a person who is happy and healthy and supported will be more productive.” 

Editor’s Note: From Day One thanks our partner, Stork Club, for supporting this sponsor spotlight.

Lisa Jaffe is a freelance writer who lives in Seattle with her son and a very needy rescue dog named Ellie Bee. She enjoys reading, long walks on the beach, and trying to get better at ceramics.

(Featured photo: iStock by Getty Images)