Johns Hopkins College’s Faculty of Nursing offers a free program within the Baltimore space that gives doulas for anticipating moms in search of a extra supportive delivery expertise.
Stephanie, a Maryland resident, is a brand new mother who has not too long ago accomplished the Birth Companions program.
“When your hormones are going loopy and all that stuff. It is good to know which you could return to any individual who understands what you are going by means of,” stated Stephanie, a brand new mom and recipient of Start Companion providers.
Stephanie informed WJZ she utilized when she was about three months pregnant, and some weeks later, she was matched with two nursing college students who’d later change into her doulas.
Start Companions is a program the place Johns Hopkins nursing college students prepare and provide free doula providers to anticipating moms within the better Baltimore space.
“There’s two elements, there’s the course and there is this system. So college students need to take the course in an effort to be a part of this system,” defined Dr. Laura Lucas, an assistant professor and coordinator of this system. “We’re going into our twenty seventh yr. It was initially simply an curiosity by a few college students.”
Lucas, nonetheless, defined that her college students are usually not meant to switch the medical workers at hospitals. They as a substitute act as a bridge and advocate for the affected person.
What’s a doula?
“Doulas present informational help, emotional help, and bodily help throughout labor and delivery, and that is our focus. It is to supply that help throughout labor and the delivery,” Lucas defined.
Shiauna Ledbetter is a latest graduate of the Johns Hopkins nursing program, who participated in and accomplished the Start Companions program.
“You might be their one particular person, so that you’re their help,” Ledbetter informed WJZ’s Janay Reece. “We have gotten to know the mother fairly effectively previous to their labor course of. So, we have now a gathering with them, we sort of undergo what would you like your delivery to appear to be.”
Maryland hospitals provide doula help
In April 2025, Governor Wes Moore signed the Hospitals and Medical Professionals Legal responsibility Insurance coverage Obstetric Providers Coverage, also called the Doula & Start Coverage Transparency Act.
The invoice requires all hospitals in Maryland to establish and maintain policies that allow certified doulas to be present during childbirth, prioritize new child bonding with the household, and acquire knowledgeable consent for vital medical interventions.
This makes the Start Companions program, its college students, and providers extra accessible to moms who might wish to make the most of doulas at hospitals throughout Maryland.
“She is aware of her physique greatest, so if she voices that she thinks one thing’s going fallacious, we’re that ear to hear and, you understand, help her it doesn’t matter what,” stated Ledbetter.
In case you are an anticipating mom or scholar within the Johns Hopkins Faculty of Nursing Start Companions program, you’ll be able to be taught extra by visiting their website.
