ArticleWomen and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives2023
"They're gonna be there to advocate for me so I'm not by myself": A qualitative analysis of Black women's motivations for seeking and experiences with community doula care.
Article in Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Experiences of Maternal Autonomy in Childbirth and Perinatal Care in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2026Review
- Streamlining Qualitative Research: Rapid Analysis Innovations in Expanding the Crisis Care Continuum Through Community-Based Implementation Science.Journal of community health · 2026Article
- Implementation Barriers to Incorporating a Community-Based Doula Program to Improve Birth Outcomes for Black Patients in an Academic Medical Center.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- 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
- Listening to Unheard Voices: Addressing Systemic Racism to Improve Maternity Care for Black Women After Perinatal Loss.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- "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
- "And in some cases, we're the best option:" A qualitative study of community-based doula support for black perinatal mental health.American journal of community psychology · 2026Article
- Low-risk Cesareans Across the US: A Decomposition of Individual- and County-level Factors by Race/Ethnicity.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- The NICU doula: family-centered support in the neonatal intensive care unit.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Black/African American Women's Woes: Women's Perspectives of Black/African American Maternal Mortality in the USA.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2025Article
- Exploring the Experiences of Community-Based Doulas That Serve Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Clients in Arkansas.Women's reproductive health (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2025Article
- Caring for Women of Color: Community-Based Doulas' Strategies in Hospital Birth in Los Angeles.Medical anthropology · 2025Article
- Promoting Maternal Health in the Postpartum Period to Advance Birth Equity.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- What Do Community Doulas Think About the Future of the Doula Workforce?Maternal and child health journal · 2024Article
- Study protocol: a mixed-methods study of the implementation of doula care to address racial health equity in six state Medicaid programs.Health research policy and systems · 2024Article
- Reclaiming narratives of empowerment around Black maternal health: a strengths-based, community-informed focus group study.Ethnicity & health · 2024Article
- Experiences of breastfeeding peer counseling among women with low incomes in the US: a qualitative evaluation.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Assessing the Impact of a Culturally Congruent Perinatal Home-Visiting Program on Gestational Age at Delivery for Black Women.Health equity · 2024Article
- "She's a Family Member": How Community Health Workers Impact Perinatal Mothers' Stress Through Social-Emotional Support and Connections to Programs and Resources.Health equity · 2024Article
- Supporting Birthing People and Supporting Doulas: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Community-Based Doula Organization in San Francisco.Health equity · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
problemIn the United States, Black women are disproportionately impacted by inequities in maternal health.
backgroundCommunity doula support may improve birth outcomes and experiences, including lower rates of preterm birth and low birthweight and increases in positive birthing experiences. Few studies have explored client experiences with doula care, specifically community doula care.
aimTo explore Black doula clients' motivations for seeking and experiences with community doula care.
methodsData are from a mixed methods process evaluation of an organization providing free community doula services in San Francisco, California. We conducted two rounds of qualitative interviews with doula clients who identified as Black or Pacific Islander between August 2019 and March 2020. Interviews explored clients' knowledge of, experiences with, and motivations for seeking doula care and their perceptions of the services they received. We utilized a Rapid Assessment Process to synthesize findings and thematic analysis.
findingsClients' motivations for seeking doula care included general lack of support and knowledge of mistreatment experienced by Black women in hospital settings. Doulas provided support in the form of information about the perinatal period and clients' rights, advocacy in hospital settings, and connection to resources beyond pregnancy and birth. Some clients described doulas as helping them stay focused and make decisions during difficult labor experiences and described positive birth experiences despite experiencing complications.
conclusionCommunity doulas play an instrumental role in the birth experiences of Black women and birthing people. Efforts should be made to expand access to this needed support via policy and hospital practices.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.