Doula services

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 and offer consistent support through all stages of pregnancy and birth, including in cases of pregnancy loss or abortion. 

How a doula can support you

A doula can support you and your family during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. They can help you understand your care options and think through your birth preferences before you share them with your care team.

Doulas don’t make clinical decisions, but they can help you communicate with your care team and feel more supported throughout labor. People who give birth with doulas tend to have shorter labors, fewer cesarean deliveries, and less use of pain-relief medication.1

When it’s time to have your baby, your doctor or midwife leads your care and manages any medical needs to help keep you and your baby healthy. Your doula focuses on creating a calm, supportive environment during labor. Understanding who's in the delivery room for a safe birth can help you feel more comfortable knowing what to expect. 

Doulas can offer various types of support, including:  

  • Preparation — Helping you understand and prepare for the birth process
  • Birth preferences — Helping you decide on your preferences 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
  • Postpartum support — Providing guidance with breastfeeding and newborn care, as well as support transitioning to life with your new baby

Because doulas are there to provide nonmedical support, there are certain clinical tasks they can’t do.

What a doula can’t do:

  • Recommend when to begin pushing
  • Deliver your baby or oversee the birth
  • Perform vaginal or cervical exams
  • Check and interpret fetal heart tones
  • Use medical equipment
  • Give or adjust medications
  • Set up, manage, or remove monitoring devices
  • Start or stop intravenous (IV) pumps

Only your clinical care team can perform these tasks.

    

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. Contact these organizations to learn about doulas in your area:

2. Interview doulas. Set up phone calls with a few doulas. Ask about their experience, philosophy, and approach to birth.

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

What to look for in a doula

It’s important to choose a doula you feel comfortable with. When you select a doula, 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.

Doulas will have training or experience in:

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

Find out if your plan covers doula services

Services from Doula Love or Community Doula Alliance doulas are covered at no extra cost for Oregon members on certain Oregon-based 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 1-800-813-2000 (TTY 711), 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays (except major holidays). 

Frequently asked questions

Services from doulas not listed in the Doula Love or Community Doula Alliance directories won’t be covered. You can choose a different doula, but you’ll need to pay for their services yourself.

Some services, including but not limited to those listed below, aren’t covered under your doula benefit. If you get these services from a doula, you’ll need to pay for them.

  • Any services from a doula who isn’t part of Doula Love or Community Doula Alliance
  • 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.3 Kaiser Permanente won’t bill you for covered doula services.

You can get prenatal and postpartum doula services virtually or in person. In-person visits can be anywhere, including in your home or at the doula’s office. Doulas can also come with you to appointments with your Kaiser Permanente care team. 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. 

Doulas aren’t medical providers. Midwives and doctors are licensed medical professionals who provide prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum clinical care.

Safety guidelines for childbirth support people

We know how important it is to have loved ones by your side during labor. A support person is anyone you choose to share this special moment with, including partners, family members, friends, doulas, and visitors. To help protect you and your baby, our safety guidelines apply to anyone supporting you.

Creating a calm and positive environment

We welcome the people you choose to support you. Working together with respectful communication creates a peaceful space for your delivery.

Your care team will always try to honor your birth preferences. Sometimes we may need to discuss medical recommendations different from your preferences to keep you and your baby safe. If this happens, your care team will explain your condition and talk through your options so you can make informed decisions.

Medical care and clinical tasks

To protect your health, only Kaiser Permanente staff can perform clinical tasks. Support people can’t perform clinical duties, such as:

  • Recommending when to begin pushing
  • Delivering your baby or overseeing the birth
  • Performing vaginal or cervical exams
  • Checking and interpreting fetal heart tones
  • Using medical equipment
  • Giving or adjusting medications
  • Setting up, managing, or removing monitoring devices
  • Starting or stopping intravenous (IV) pumps

In case of an emergency

If an urgent situation arises and your care team isn’t in the room — for example, if you suddenly feel the urge to push — you or your support people should immediately use the call button located by your bed or in the bathroom.

We may ask support people to leave if their actions put your or your baby’s safety at risk. To help keep you safe, our staff will need access to you and your baby to provide care.

Pregnancy health resources

Support person giving a pregnant person a back massage
Article

Birth partners and postpartum support people

Tips to help support people stay calm, build confidence, and feel empowered.
Doctor examining a pregnant person
Article

Creating your birth preferences

Sharing your birth preferences helps your team support you and lets you feel in control of your experience.
Parent in a hospital gown holding their sleeping baby, while a doctor stands nearby
Article

Meeting your labor and birth team

Learn about the professionals who’ll help you and your baby during and after labor.
Parent snuggling their happy baby
Web page

Mental health during and after pregnancy

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or sad, reach out to your care team for help anytime.4
 

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. Continue at 1
  2. Included plans: Commercial Group and Individual plans. Please contact Member Services if you are unsure if this benefit applies to you to determine if you qualify, at 503-813-2000 (TTY 711). You can also see your Evidence of Coverage  for details about your plan’s coverage. Continue at 2
  3. For high deductible health plans, these services are subject to the plan deductible. Continue at 3
  4. If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 and you’ll be connected to a trained crisis counselor. You can also call or text 988 if you’re worried about a loved one. Continue at 4

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