Birth Support
The Doula Foundation firmly believes that every family, regardless of their financial means, deserves emotional, physical, and informational support before, during, and after the birth process. Whether you’re a first-time mother or are having your fifth baby, the support of a trained Community-Based Doula can make your birth and postpartum experience a more positive and empowered one.
We provide the following services that ease the physical and emotional challenges of childbirth, encourage the bond between parent and child, and provide a sense of empowerment to new and soon-to-be parents:
*Prenatal Doula Services
*Birth Doula Services
*Postpartum Doula Services
Let us answer your questions below or go to our FAQ section.
Prenatal Support
Doulas assist the mother and partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth.
Labor and Birth Support
A Birth Doula is a professional who provides compassionate, continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother (and her partner) before, during, and after childbirth to help her achieve her birth goals, and have the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.
- Stay by the side of the laboring mother throughout the entire labor
- Provide emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint, and information to make informed decisions during birth
- Facilitate communication between laboring mother, partner, and clinical care providers
Postpartum Support
They are trained to understand just what new babies and new mothers need, from companionship to baby care, and even help completing daily tasks.
In this initial postpartum period, it is important to foster a healthy mother-baby bond and relationship, which will provide a strong foundation for the years to come.
The quality of emotional care received after going through the challenges of birth is one vital factor that can strengthen the emotional ties between mother and child.
What does a Community-Based Doula cost?
Our mission is to serve all women and their families, and we do not want financial need to make services inaccessible to families who desire them. The bond that is created at birth lasts a lifetime and we want everyone to be able to protect that sacred memory. Contact a family care specialist for information on financial assistance. We have a long history of collaborating with services like Medicaid to cover doula costs. To discuss which services are the best fit for you and determine availability, please fill out the contact form with your information, and we will reach out.
How The Doula Foundation Helps
Whether you’re a first-time mother or are having your fifth baby, our support can make your experience a more positive and empowered one.
10,000+ Families Served
FAQ – Doula Foundation Services
A specially trained, professional support person who provides nonclinical physical, emotional, and educational support before, during, and after labor.
A certified Birth and Postpartum Doula that works
with at-risk families in their community by providing expanded services through pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood, including connecting individuals with community resources.
A Community Health Worker that specializes in birth and postpartum support, in-home visitation, and community referrals.
Prenatal Support
Whether you’re a first time mother or are having your fifth baby, the support of a trained Community-Based Doula can make your birth and postpartum experience a more positive and empowered one.
Doulas assist the mother and partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth.
Labor and Birth Support
A Birth Doula is a professional who provides compassionate, continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother (and her partner) before, during, and after childbirth to help her achieve her birth goals and have the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.
Studies have shown remarkable improved physical and psychological outcomes for both mother and baby when a doula is present in her care and part of her birth team.
Doulas make an impact on the increased well-being of the entire family!
Postpartum Support
Postpartum Doulas are there to walk alongside families as they move into their new roles as mothers, fathers, and siblings.
They are trained to understand just what new babies and new mothers need, from companionship to baby care to help around the home.
The doula helps with soothing techniques, breastfeeding or bottle-feeding support, explains normal newborn characteristics, behavior, and development and so much more!
In this initial postpartum period, it is important to foster a healthy mother-baby bond and relationship, which will provide a strong foundation for the years to come. The quality of emotional care received after going through the challenges of birth is one vital factor that can strengthen the emotional ties between mother and child.
All members of the family benefit with having a postpartum doula on their team!
Prenatal Support
- 24-hour on-call services surrounding birth
- Comfort measures and emotional support
- Prenatal home visitation
- Birth wishes preparation
- Bonding and lactation support
- Community resource navigation
Birth and Labor Support
- Recognize birth as a key life experience that the mother will remember all her life
- Understand the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a mother in labor
- Assist the mother and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth
- Stay by the side of the laboring mother throughout the entire labor
- Provide emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint, and supply the mother with important information she needs to make informed decisions
- Facilitate communication between the laboring mother, her partner, and clinical care providers
- Nurture and protect the mother’s memory of her birth experience
Postpartum Support
- Educational support during early parenthood
- Postpartum home visitation
- Health assessment screenings
- Bonding and lactation support
- Community resource navigation
Certified Community-Based Doulas Provide:
- 24-hour on-call services surrounding birth
- Comfort measures
- Emotional support
- Birth wishes preparation
- Childbirth education
- Bonding and breastfeeding support following birth
- Non-medical tasks
- Educational and emotional support during early parenthood
- In-home lactation support and newborn care
- 4th trimester support
- Health assessment screenings
- Connection to vital resources
A Woman Receiving Services is:
- 50% less likely to deliver prematurely
- 36% less likely to deliver low birthweight babies
- 33% more likely to initiate breastfeeding
- Partners participate with more confidence
- Greater success in breastfeeding
- More maternal satisfaction
- Fewer neonatal admissions after birth
- Less pre- and postnatal stress
- Less likelihood of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD)
- Overall caesarean rate decreased by 50%
A doula doesn’t replace the partner’s role, but rather compliments it and enables them to become involved in the birth to the extent they feel comfortable.
As doulas, we support the entire family through pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.
With a doula present at a birth, mothers can have the best of both worlds with her partner’s care and attention, along with the doula’s knowledge of the process and guidance through the stages of labor.
Click here for some great resources.
Our Community-Based Doulas and Perinatal Community Health Workers are trained breastfeeding peer counselors. In addition to our providing in-depth breastfeeding education through our monthly childbirth class series, our doulas give real-time, individualized breastfeeding support to mothers and families in their homes and via phone support. Our doulas support breastfeeding mothers by giving:
- Tips on getting a good start to breastfeeding
- Assistance with correct latch and positioning
- Help with overcoming common barriers to breastfeeding
- Encouragement for proper nutrition and hydration for lactation
- Help with breastfeeding concerns, including referrals to lactation consultants
- Ideas on how family and friends can give support
- Education on breast care, feeding patterns, working breastfeeding into their busy life, pumping and storing milk, baby’s cues, and more
- We can refer for IBCLC services
A Perinatal Community Health Worker (PCHW) can help:
- Explain normal newborn characteristics, behavior and development
- Walk alongside families as they move into new roles as mothers, fathers, siblings to foster healthy bonds and relationships to form a foundation for the future
- Educational and emotional support during early parenthood
- Health assessment screenings
- Connection to vital resources
The Doula Foundation is Missouri Medicaid approved provider partnering with Healthy Blue, Home State Health, and United insurance. In addition, we offer scholarships for families who need financial assistance. Please contact us for more information.
Physicians and nurses are responsible for monitoring labor, assessing the medical condition of the mother and baby, and treating complications when they arise.
Childbirth is also an emotional experience with a long-term impact on a woman’s personal well-being.
A doula is a non-clinical care team partner who provides continuous labor support and works to collaborate with the health care team to encourage a positive, healthy, and memorable birth experience.
A doula does not make decisions for clients or intervene in their clinical care.
A doula provides informational and emotional support, while respecting a woman’s decisions.
A doula can provide the information to help parents make appropriate decisions and facilitate communication between the laboring woman, her partner, and medical care providers.
No, a doula is supportive to both the mother and her partner, and plays a crucial role in helping a partner become involved in the birth to the extent he/she feels comfortable.
A doula’s support is not only focused on managing pain during childbirth. She is your advocate throughout your labor and birth helping you and your family with any questions or concerns that may arise, helping you understand what your care providers are saying, and attending to your comfort and needs.
Since pain medication and/or anesthesia don’t always arrive at the exact moment you are ready for it, you may benefit from having a doula support you during contractions until you get the relief you are planning on receiving. Once you have received anesthesia, although you may not be feeling the intensity of the contractions, you are still having a baby.
Your doula will remain with you throughout the birth, as well as the immediate postpartum period to support you and ensure that you and your family’s needs are being met.
Doulas can provide essential support before, during, and following a caesarian birth.
Your birth doula serves as support and is an advocate throughout the preparation for surgery.
Depending on hospital policies, she may be able to support you in the operating room as well.
She will be at your side in the recovery room, can help initiate breastfeeding, and will assist your family with any questions or concerns that may arise, helping you understand what your care providers are saying, and attending to your comfort and needs.
No. Doulas do not replace nurses or other medical staff.
Doulas do not perform clinical or medical tasks such as taking blood pressure or temperature, monitoring fetal heart rate, doing cervical examinations, or providing postpartum clinical care.
Birth doulas are there to comfort and support the mother and to enhance communication between the mother and medical professionals.
Elevate Conference Presentation
- Community-Based Doulas provide non-clinical emotional, physical, educational, and care coordination support throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period. They offer comfort measures, pain management techniques, labor positioning, advocacy, education, and help connect families with community resources to address social needs. Doulas do not provide medical care or deliver babies.
- Midwives are licensed healthcare providers who provide clinical prenatal, labor and birth, postpartum, and newborn care. They monitor the health of the mother and baby, perform medical assessments, manage labor, and deliver the baby.