Doula care

At Kaiser Permanente, you’re welcome to have a doula on your support team during and after pregnancy and birth. A doula can help you stay informed, prepare for birth, manage labor pain, and recover after pregnancy.
Doula helping a person in labor

What is a doula?

A doula is a trained, nonmedical professional. They provide companionship and give physical, emotional, and informational support during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery. Doulas focus on your well-being, help you make informed decisions, and offer consistent care through all stages of pregnancy and birth, including in cases of pregnancy loss or abortion. 

How a doula can support you

A doula can make pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period better for you and your family. Doulas help you understand your care options and decide on your preferences. They can also help you create a birth preferences plan, which you’ll review with your care team. They won’t make clinical decisions for you, but they’ll support you in communicating with your care team.

Doulas create a calming, supportive environment to help labor progress. People who give birth with doulas tend to have shorter labors and fewer cesarean deliveries, and they’re less likely to ask for pain-relief medication.1 

Doulas can offer various types of support, including:

  • Preparation — Providing information on birth options and procedures, so you can make informed choices about your care
  • Birth preferences — Helping you develop a plan you’ll share with your care team that expresses your wishes and goals for your birth experience, including pain management and newborn feeding
  • Labor coaching — Offering nonmedical techniques (such as touch, positioning, and breathing exercises) to help you relax, cope with pain, and progress through labor
  • Additional lactation support — Problem-solving and encouragement to help you feed your baby
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Doula services at Kaiser Permanente

We cover doula care for pregnancy, labor, and postpartum, as well as in cases of loss of pregnancy or abortion. Your doula can help you prepare for birth, support you throughout your labor, and help you recover at home. 

Our doula coverage includes: 

  • 11 visits per pregnancy, in any combination of prenatal and postpartum visits, for up to 12 months after pregnancy 
  • Support during labor and birth, including vaginal birth or C-section 
  • Support for pregnancy that ends in stillbirth, miscarriage, or abortion

Find out if your plan covers doula services

Doula services are covered at no extra cost for California members on specific plans.2 

See your Evidence of Coverage for details about your plan’s coverage. If you have questions about the doula benefit, call Member Services at 1-800-464-4000 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except major holidays). 

 

What to look for in a doula

It’s important to choose a doula you feel comfortable with. Make sure they work near your home and the hospital where you plan to deliver. They should also be available on your estimated due date.


The doula should have training and experience in: 

  • Prenatal support 
  • Anatomy of pregnancy and birth
  • Nonmedical comfort measures and labor support techniques 
  • Lactation support
  • Adult/infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rules

How to find a doula

Selecting a doula is an important and personal decision. Here are some steps to help you find a doula to support your birth experience.

  1. Research. Start by looking for doulas in your area. Use online directories, local doula agencies, or recommendations from friends or health care professionals.

  2. Make sure they’re eligible. Choose a doula with a valid National Provider Identifier (NPI) and Tax Identification Number (TIN). Your doula will need an NPI to file a claim with Kaiser Permanente. 

  3. Interview doulas. Set up interviews with a few doulas. Ask about their experience, philosophy, and approach to birth.

  4. Check qualifications and reviews. Look at the doula’s profile and certifications and read reviews from other families. Many doulas will have completed a doula training program.

  5. Understand your coverage. Learn which doula services are covered and which services aren’t covered.
    To learn more about doula coverage, call Member Services at 1-800-464-4000 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except major holidays). 

  6. Check availability. Confirm the doula is available around your due date.

  7. Make your decision. Choose the doula who best fits your needs. 

Common questions

The following services aren’t covered under your doula benefit. If you get these services from a doula, you’ll need to pay for them. 

  • Clinical or medical services (like taking blood pressure or temperature, fetal heart tone checks, vaginal exams, or postpartum clinical care)
  • Help with activities of daily living (like shopping or laundry)
  • Alternative or complementary services (like aromatherapy, birth education, or massage therapy)
  • Yoga
  • Birthing ceremonies (like sealing or closing the bones)
  • Over-the-counter supplies or drugs
  • Home birth
  • Belly binding (traditional or ceremonial)
  • Massage (maternal or infant) 
  • Photography 
  • Placenta encapsulation 
  • Vaginal steams 
  • Group classes on baby wearing
If your plan covers doula services, there’s no copay, deductible, or coinsurance. Tell your doula to file a claim for reimbursement through OfficeAlly. You won’t get a doula bill from Kaiser Permanente for covered services. 
You can get prenatal and postpartum doula services virtually or in person. In-person visits can be anywhere, including in your home, in the doula’s office, at a Kaiser Permanente medical facility, or at an in-network medical facility. During your labor and birth, your doula should support you in person.

No. You don’t need to ask your doctor to see a doula.

If you plan to have a doula support you during labor and birth, let your care team know ahead of time and mention your doula in your birth preferences. 

Pregnancy health resources

Footnotes

1 State Strategies for Preventing Pregnancy-Related Deaths: A Guide for Moving Maternal Mortality Review Committee Data to Action, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 2022.
2 Included plans: Kaiser Permanente members who have Medi-Cal or California commercial plan benefits, including ACA-compliant grandfathered plans, KPIF, WARCO and FEHBP/PSHB Medicare health plans, and D-SNP plans at no extra cost. Certain Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company tiers may have a cost share based on existing plan benefits. If you’re a Medi-Cal member and have questions about your benefits, call 1-855-839-7613 (TTY 711).

 

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