ArticleThe Journal of perinatal education2013
Impact of doulas on healthy birth outcomes.
Article in The Journal of perinatal education, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 93 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
93 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Doula Support During Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Postpartum: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Obstetrics and gynecology · 2026Pooled it
- Doula Care and Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review.JAMA network open · 2026Pooled it
- The role of doulas in providing breastfeeding support during the COVID-19 pandemic.International breastfeeding journal · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review of person-centered care interventions to improve quality of facility-based delivery.Reproductive health · 2018Pooled it
- Midwifery Care and Doula Support for Black Women in the United States: A Systematic Review of Maternal, Birth, and Infant Outcomes.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Review
- "Another person who loves you": Reconceptualizing Doula Care by Centering Cultural Competence in the Support of Black Birthing People.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Community Interventions for Addressing Postpartum Depression Across the United States: A Narrative Review.Cureus · 2026Review
- Article
- COVID-19 Impact On Black and Latina Women: Pregnancy and Parenting.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Interventions to address inequities in infant mortality and morbidity in the NICU and beyond: A focus on the mother-infant dyad.Seminars in perinatology · 2025Review
- Stress-induced developmental plasticity and spontaneous preterm birth: A justice-oriented eco-evo-devo review.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2025Review
- Exploring the Role of Doulas in Supporting People With Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders.International journal of childbirth · 2025Article
- "Sometimes the Doulas, They Need a Doula": A Qualitative Analysis of Black and Pacific Islander Doulas' Perspectives on Personal and Professional Growth as Birth Workers.The Journal of perinatal education · 2025Article
- Impact of multicultural doula support on pregnant migrant women's healthcare service utilisation in Norway: a multi-centre case-control study.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- The Age of the Soft-Girl Era: How Public Health Scholars May Seize Opportunity of Innovatively Promoting Reproductive Health and Nutritional Health Among Black Women of Color.Health equity · 2025Article
- "We don't just want doulas. We want good doulas." Examining the role of doula training in promoting perinatal mental health.Social work in mental health · 2025Article
- Spatial distribution and determinants of solitary childbirth in Ethiopia: Evidence from the 2019 interim demographic and health survey.PloS one · 2025Article
- "I Live in a Doula Desert": A Community-Engaged Study of Doula Care in Rural Georgia.Women's health reports (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- Impact of Presence of Doulas on Perceived Racism for Black Mothers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.PRiMER (Leawood, Kan.) · 2025Article
- Multicultural doula support and obstetric and neonatal outcomes: a multi-centre comparative study in Norway.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
33 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Birth outcomes of two groups of socially disadvantaged mothers at risk for adverse birth outcomes, one receiving prebirth assistance from a certified doula and the other representing a sample of birthing mothers who elected to not work with a doula, were compared. All of the mothers were participants in a prenatal health and childbirth education program. Expectant mothers matched with a doula had better birth outcomes. Doula-assisted mothers were four times less likely to have a low birth weight (LBW) baby, two times less likely to experience a birth complication involving themselves or their baby, and significantly more likely to initiate breastfeeding. Communication with and encouragement from a doula throughout the pregnancy may have increased the mother's self-efficacy regarding her ability to impact her own pregnancy outcomes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.