Pregnancy and childbirth can be exciting, frightening and overwhelming all at the same time. Luckily, additional support options are available for Blue Plus members with a Minnesota Heath Care Program plan. Imagine how much calmer and more comforted you’d be with the ongoing advice of another trusted professional in addition to your doctor.

Not sure what to expect? Doulas get to know you and are with you every step of the way to answer questions, provide support, act as your advocate, stay by your side during childbirth and can provide additional support postpartum. Working with a doula is more than a luxury too, as evidence shows it is positive for the health of both mothers and babies.

“A doula provides knowledge, expertise and emotional support from prenatal to birth to post-partum. It’s a familiar face that can give you evidence-based techniques during the birthing process, someone who can be a constant throughout your pregnancy, birth and beyond,” says Sierra Leone’ Williams, birth doula, birth educator and lactation counselor who works both independently and through Everyday Miracles.

Doula support throughout pregnancy

“Going into hospitals and birth centers can be scary, it’s unfamiliar,” Sierra says. “We all know that when we see our providers, we spend 15 or 20 minutes there. To have a doula that supports you as early as possible throughout the pregnancy means having a constant person who can give you the information you need through the entire process. During birth, doulas have different tips and tricks that can jog a provider’s memory or that they don’t necessarily know. We’re present through the whole event, providers come in when the baby is getting ready to come.”

"To have a doula that supports you…means having a constant person who can give you the information you need through the entire process."

Doulas keep their focus on the pregnant and birthing mother and advocating for her needs and requests. While doulas do not provide medical support, they do provide physical, emotional and informational support as well as advocacy, as requested by the mother.

Multiple studies have confirmed the benefits of continuous labor and childbirth support from a doula. It has been found that the benefits of working with a doula include:

• A decrease in Cesarean births
• Shorter labors
• Increase in the likelihood of spontaneous vaginal birth
• Decrease in the use of pain medications
• A significant decrease in the baby’s risk of a low five-minute APGAR score

This is precisely why doula services are covered for our Medicaid members. Up to seven sessions are provided before childbirth, for labor and delivery and for post-partum support.

“Yes, there are long hours, but I think it’s fulfilling I get to be present when new life is coming into the world,” says Sierra. “Everyone’s pregnancy is not celebrated, but it should be. I try to bring that to that space. That’s the best thing about my job. New life, new beginnings. Every time I see a baby born it give me rejuvenation.”

And, with Sierra’s help and the assistance of doulas like her, more women can experience their pregnancies, births and post-partum periods in a happier, more knowledgeable and healthier way.