What is a Doula?
A certified doula is a person who has taken a training program in how to help and support pregnant people and their families during the exciting but challenging journey of childbearing. Doulas are not medical professionals. Doulas don’t deliver babies or provide medical care, but they provide physical and emotional support, education, resources and advocacy for the families they serve
Why Doulas?
Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) Childbearing people disproportionately experience poor birth outcomes and severe pregnancy complications compared to their white counterparts. Black women experience maternal death during childbearing at 3 times the rate of women of other races/ethnicities in the United States, and black women in Texas have the some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the United States.
Doula support has been shown to be a very effective antidote to this problem. Since doula services are not yet reimbursed by insurance or Medicaid, the majority of people utilizing doula services are people who can afford to pay for a doula, while those most in need of doula support (childbearing people of color and those in rural, marginalized, underserved and under resourced areas), and who would most likely benefit from doula support, go without. We are changing this dynamic.
We believe that BIPOC birth workers must take the lead in bringing down the high rates of maternal morbidity and maternal in the United States by providing potentially lifesaving supporting to their childbearing community. With this in mind, Healing Hands Community Doula Project trains and employs BIPOC birth workers to support BIPOC childbearing people in their communities prenatally, during labor and delivery, and for up to one year postpartum. Our 80+ hour perinatal doula training program is a workforce development program, addressing the very real responsibilities of adult participants who want career advancement, but must maintain their family and community obligations. Our program enables our participants to earn while they learn, and when we can, we hire them, and if not, we help them get jobs in their communities.
What Our Doulas Do
Our doulas are not only skilled birth attendants, they are also skilled health care navigators, community resource references and reproductive health advocates. Our doulas assist our clients to access public assistance (WIC, SNAP, Medicaid and others), gain access to community health services (such as mental services and or substance abuse services), and connect clients with community resources (i.e. housing, teen mom resources, etc..).
Request Doula Services
Healing Hands Community Doula Project offers childbearing and parenting support services for BIPOC childbearing people and their families. If you would like a doula assisted pregnancy and childbirth, Click Here to Fill out our contact form. We will contact you to assess your needs.
Contact Us today!