The Doula Project was made possible through generous funding from the UniCare Health Plan of WV, and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Maternal, Child, and Family Health. These funds expanded the reach of doula services offered to pregnant and postpartum women in underserved communities in West Virginia.
With this funding, The Perinatal Partnership was able to:
- Provide scholarships for doula training with DONA International
- Host educational workshops for doulas, nurses and providers
- Support pilot projects to increase work opportunities for doulas
- Establish a doula network, a doula advisory board, and an online doula directory
“The help that the Doula Project has not only given our practice, but our patients, is immeasurable. Doula services in our state are not covered by health insurance, and as a result, it is financially out of grasp for a multitude of our patients. The funding provided by the Doula Project has allowed us to bring this much needed benefit to our patients who otherwise wouldn’t have ever even had the chance to have a doula. With doula services covered by the funding, we have been able to have doulas providing services to many first-time mothers as well as women with minimal social support and/or history of addiction. Doula services is a much needed service and I am so glad we can provide it to our patients free of charge to them when it is needed and wanted.”
FamilyCare Birth Center
A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.
Looking for a doula?
Visit our Doula Directory for a curated list of doulas providing services in and around West Virginia
What are the benefits of doula services?
Birth doulas provide support in some of the following ways:
Offering continuous labor support by helping the mother stay comfortable by providing comforting touch and guidance on breathing, relaxation, movement, and positioning.
Immediately after birth, the doula assists the mother with skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding the baby.
Birth doulas can also help by encouraging respectful communication between families and hospital staff.
Doulas help families to feel supported, easing the emotional experience of birth and also helping to create a space where the hormones of labor can work at their best.
Doulas are trained to help families connect with evidence-based resources so they can ask great questions and make informed decisions about their births.
“Birth is a natural physiological process that our bodies are equipped for; and since the beginning of time, birthing women have been supported by others in their communities. Doulas support their clients through education, confidence building, and simple companionship. Evidence shows that when a birthing person is guided through the perinatal process with doula support, outcomes and experiences are improved.”
Annie W. Barb, BA, RN, LCCE, Doula
Director of Community Health Programs and Co-Director of the Doula Project
