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Once a luxury for moms, doula care is going mainstream

More than 30 states now reimburse doulas through Medicaid, with studies showing doula care reduces C-sections by 47% and improves birth outcomes, experts say.

  • More than 30 states now reimburse doulas through Medicaid, up from 14 in late 2022, while industry giant UnitedHealthcare launched a new doula benefit this year.
  • Research published last year found Medicaid recipients using doulas had a 47% lower risk of C-sections, a 29% lower risk of preterm birth, and were 46% more likely to attend postpartum checkups.
  • In Memphis, Tenn., doula Shanille Bowens supports clients like Shaquoiya Stewart, a 35-year-old single mother who credited Bowens for guidance through pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum challenges.
  • Dr. Margaret-Mary Wilson, chief medical officer at UnitedHealth Group, sees doulas becoming "more and more integrated" into health care systems, a shift from 10 years ago when Dana Morrison of Doulas of Duluth in Minnesota reported "definitely" resistance.
  • Expanding doula care offers a relatively inexpensive strategy to reduce maternal mortality, which kills Black mothers at a rate more than three times higher than white women.
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Once a luxury for moms, doula care is going mainstream

Doulas provide physical and emotional support before, during and after birth. Such care used to be seen as a luxury and was available only to those who could afford it.

·United States
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Winnipeg Free Press broke the news in Winnipeg, Canada on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
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