To help solve the crisis in maternal mortality among Black, brown, and low-income communities, eight states and Washington, DC are turning to doula care and using Medicaid money to fund it. Two more states will join them in 2023. And a new federal program this year is expanding the use of doulas in areas with high maternal and infant mortality rates.
Black mothers are almost three times as likely as white mothers to have a life-threatening delivery complication. They are eight times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related issue. There are also racial gaps in breastfeeding and Cesarean sections. And more Black babies are born preterm[1] or at low birth weights, which are major factors in infant mortality.[2]
A growing body of research points to doula care as a cost-saving and effective intervention for infant and maternal health.
