HEALTH // Childbirth
THe Doula Alliance of Arkansas is officially founded and seeking an executive director
Dianna Donahue-Holley - 07.24.2024
bottom row (l to r) Sondra Rodocker, Nicolle Fletcher, Jamie Washington; top row (l to r) - Liyah Wasson, Kwaeisi Golliday, Cora Crain, Sarita Hendrix. Photo by Dianna Donahue-Holley
The Doula Alliance of Arkansas (DA-AR) recently announced its much-anticipated founding. This new entity is made up of practicing doulas around Arkansas and others who support doula services that engage with policymakers and others, including OB/GYNs and midwives, to develop a process for certifying doulas and securing payer reimbursement of their services. Its mission is to collaborate with the physician community to significantly improve Arkansas’s maternal health outcomes, advance the profession of birth work through advocacy and education, improve access to high-quality doula services statewide, and provide a professional support system for Arkansas doulas. This emphasis on improving maternal health outcomes brings hope for a healthier future for mothers and babies in Arkansas.
You may be wondering, "What is a doula?" For clarity, a doula is a trained professional who provides non-clinical emotional, physical, and informational support to women, starting during pregnancy and continuing through the postpartum period. They specialize in care that reflects the values and lived experiences of their clients, working in tandem with doctors, nurses, and midwives to provide care throughout the perinatal period. Additionally, they support their clients by providing childbirth education, helping them navigate the healthcare system, advocating for them before, during, and after the birth of a baby, and connecting them with community resources. Lastly, they can work independently and collaborate with delivering providers, or they may be embedded in a team of birthing professionals within a health system.
Their impact and benefits include positive maternal and child health outcomes and a spike in attendance at medical appointments and education classes, encouraging responsive parenting behaviors, and enhancing child health and developmental outcomes such as breastfeeding initiation rates and safe sleep practices. Additionally, doula-accompanied birth teams improve important birth outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and neonatal intensive care unit visits," and can save an estimated $558 per birth (Medicaid) and $1194 per birth (private insurance) for reductions in unnecessary cesarean sections and an estimated $41,964 per avoided preterm birth (Medicaid).
Through the Doula Alliance of Arkansas (DA-AR), interest and access to doulas as a part of women's birthing teams is increasing. Particularly in the Black community, where maternal deaths are known to be concerningly greater than women of other races, awareness is spreading fast as many seek healthier, more comforting alternatives to safe childbirth.
You may be wondering, "What is a doula?" For clarity, a doula is a trained professional who provides non-clinical emotional, physical, and informational support to women, starting during pregnancy and continuing through the postpartum period. They specialize in care that reflects the values and lived experiences of their clients, working in tandem with doctors, nurses, and midwives to provide care throughout the perinatal period. Additionally, they support their clients by providing childbirth education, helping them navigate the healthcare system, advocating for them before, during, and after the birth of a baby, and connecting them with community resources. Lastly, they can work independently and collaborate with delivering providers, or they may be embedded in a team of birthing professionals within a health system.
Their impact and benefits include positive maternal and child health outcomes and a spike in attendance at medical appointments and education classes, encouraging responsive parenting behaviors, and enhancing child health and developmental outcomes such as breastfeeding initiation rates and safe sleep practices. Additionally, doula-accompanied birth teams improve important birth outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and neonatal intensive care unit visits," and can save an estimated $558 per birth (Medicaid) and $1194 per birth (private insurance) for reductions in unnecessary cesarean sections and an estimated $41,964 per avoided preterm birth (Medicaid).
Through the Doula Alliance of Arkansas (DA-AR), interest and access to doulas as a part of women's birthing teams is increasing. Particularly in the Black community, where maternal deaths are known to be concerningly greater than women of other races, awareness is spreading fast as many seek healthier, more comforting alternatives to safe childbirth.
“We are excited about the partnership with the Doula Alliance of Arkansas and are grateful for Ingeborg’s dedication to improving maternal health care in Arkansas,” said Dr. Manning. “The maternal health crisis in Arkansas is complicated, and there’s unfortunately not just one solution that will fix the problem. The creation of the Doula Alliance of Arkansas is a positive step in the right direction. By bringing together doulas and healthcare providers, we can create a more integrated approach to maternal care that benefits all mothers and families in Arkansas and will help us create a lasting impact.”
The Doula Alliance of Arkansas was founded with a $250,000 seed grant from Ingeborg Initiatives, an organization founded by Olivia Walton that is dedicated to empowering mothers in the state of Arkansas by improving maternal health, advancing women’s economic opportunity, and expanding access to quality care and early learning opportunities for children. The Arkansas Community Foundation will facilitate the grant seeded to the Alliance, and the Excel by Eight network will serve as the advisor to the Alliance. The Excel by Eight network consists of hundreds of individuals and organizations focused on increasing Arkansas children’s health and education outcomes. It is committed to strengthening resource grids statewide by building local models for change, identifying and resolving policy barriers, and enhancing public understanding of early childhood development.
Through the Doula Alliance of Arkansas, an infrastructure will be developed that acknowledges doulas as a profession, elevates the standard of doula practice throughout the state, provides a pathway to a shared definition of certification, and ensures doulas are paid equitably for their services. The Alliance will also increase the number of certified doulas across the state and promote the use of certified doulas by women throughout the perinatal period – from the time they get pregnant through the first year postpartum – particularly in areas of the state with higher maternal mortality rates and lack of access to maternity care and birthing services.
The founding board members, supporters, stakeholders, doulas and physicians from around the state gathered at the Arkansas Community Foundation in Little Rock for their official launch announcement this month. Its speakers included Representatives from the Arkansas Community Foundation, Cara Osborne, senior fellow, Heartland Forward and Ingeborg Initiatives, Nicolle Fletcher, chairman, Doula Alliance of Arkansas, Cora Crain, vice chairman, Doula Alliance of Arkansas, and Anna Strong, executive director, Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Through the Doula Alliance of Arkansas, an infrastructure will be developed that acknowledges doulas as a profession, elevates the standard of doula practice throughout the state, provides a pathway to a shared definition of certification, and ensures doulas are paid equitably for their services. The Alliance will also increase the number of certified doulas across the state and promote the use of certified doulas by women throughout the perinatal period – from the time they get pregnant through the first year postpartum – particularly in areas of the state with higher maternal mortality rates and lack of access to maternity care and birthing services.
The founding board members, supporters, stakeholders, doulas and physicians from around the state gathered at the Arkansas Community Foundation in Little Rock for their official launch announcement this month. Its speakers included Representatives from the Arkansas Community Foundation, Cara Osborne, senior fellow, Heartland Forward and Ingeborg Initiatives, Nicolle Fletcher, chairman, Doula Alliance of Arkansas, Cora Crain, vice chairman, Doula Alliance of Arkansas, and Anna Strong, executive director, Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"Establishing the Doula Alliance of Arkansas is a transformative step toward addressing our state's maternal health crisis,” said Olivia Walton, founder and CEO of Ingeborg Initiatives, which focuses on improving maternal health and women’s economic empowerment in Arkansas. “As Arkansas faces the highest maternal mortality rate in the nation, the Alliance creates a vital partnership between doulas and physicians, providing an added layer of support for moms during pregnancy and the challenging postpartum period. Ingeborg Initiatives is proud to support this collaborative effort to ensure that every mother receives the comprehensive, compassionate care she deserves.”
Seven Arkansas doulas and several members of the physician and midwife communities comprise the Alliance. At the helm is the president and co-founder of the Alliance, Nicolle Fletcher, who is also the co-founder and Executive Director of the Ujima Maternity Network, the owner of Nurturing Arrows Birth Services, a certified labor doula, lactation counselor, childbirth educator, and apprentice midwife.
The founding board of the Doula Alliance of Arkansas are:
DA-AR is currently seeking a compassionate, skilled executive director to lead the organization in its mission to advance the profession of birth work through advocacy, education, and collaboration with the medical community. To learn more, visit doulaallianceofar.org. Learn more about Ingeborg Initiatives at ingeborginitiatives.com. For more information about the Excel by Eight network, visit excelby8.net.
The founding board of the Doula Alliance of Arkansas are:
- Nicolle Fletcher, doula, chairperson
- Cora Crain, doula, vice chairperson
- Kwaeisi Golliday, doula
- Dr. Christina Green, an OB-GYN at Saline Memorial Hospital in Benton
- Sarita Hendrix, doula
- Dr. Nirvana Manning, professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine
- Sondra Rodocker, doula, treasurer
- Liyah Wasson, doula, secretary
- Jamie Washington, doula
DA-AR is currently seeking a compassionate, skilled executive director to lead the organization in its mission to advance the profession of birth work through advocacy, education, and collaboration with the medical community. To learn more, visit doulaallianceofar.org. Learn more about Ingeborg Initiatives at ingeborginitiatives.com. For more information about the Excel by Eight network, visit excelby8.net.
“Doulas work alongside the medical team to offer emotional, physical, and informational support to expectant mothers before, during, and after childbirth, which has been shown to contribute to better birth experiences and outcomes,” said Nicolle Fletcher, certified doula, co-founder of Ujima Maternity Network and board chair of the Doula Alliance of Arkansas. “This Alliance will allow doulas across the state to present a unified voice for public policy advocacy, formalize our certification process, and provide the structure for us to work more seamlessly with providers to ensure that every mother in Arkansas has access to the care and support she needs.”
