Mayo Clinic's Volunteer Doula Program

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Jul 2, 2022 | Miri Levi | @midwifemiri

The Family Birth Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester is now offering doula services for all patients at no-cost thanks to the local doula community. Doulas are trained professionals who provide continuous physical and emotional support to a childbearing patient and their family during childbirth to help achieve a positive birth experience. A doula can enhance the labor experience through compassionate, individualized care.

Doula services are available on a first come, first serve basis and are not guaranteed. Volunteer doulas through this program are not available for prenatal consults. Upon arrival on the family birth center, laboring patients can request to have a volunteer doula and they will be called to come in and support you.

Learn more about one patient's experience with a volunteer doula during her birth experience. 

A doula might offer attention to physical comfort, emotional reassurance, guidance, and support for loved ones, and help with facilitating communication between you and the hospital staff. A doula’s most important role is to provide continuous support during labor and delivery. Although research is limited, some studies have shown that continuous support from doulas during childbirth might be associated with a decrease in the use of pain relief medications in labor, a decrease in the incidence of cesarean births, a decrease in the length of labor, and a decrease in negative childbirth experiences. The volunteer doula program was developed to provide equitable access to doulas for all patients no matter their financial situation in order to decrease healthcare disparities.

If you are interested in having a doula free of charge to support you during labor, please contact the Obstetrics department at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.  Your care team is available to answer questions about the program at your next prenatal visit. You can also meet some of the volunteer doulas at their Monthly Meet the Doulas Zoom Session at 7pm on the second Monday of every month. Please contact volunteerdoula@mayo.edu for details.

Learn more about the volunteer doula service and thank you to our amazing community doulas that volunteer their time to serve our patients!