•HRES 395 IH 
2 times less likely to experience complications during 
pregnancy; 
Whereas research indicates that, with the support of doulas, 
women are— 
(1) more likely to have vaginal births; and 
(2) less likely to require epidural anesthesia; 
Whereas, in 2013, the Expert Panel on Improving Maternal 
and Infant Health Outcomes in Medicaid and the Chil-
dren’s Health Insurance Program of the Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services identified providing cov-
erage for continuous doula support during labor as a po-
tential strategy to enhance maternal and infant care 
management; 
Whereas the presence of a doula during pregnancy, child-
birth, and postpartum helps foster shared decision mak-
ing for birthing women by facilitating communication be-
tween women and their providers; 
Whereas a doula provides continuous support during labor 
and delivery and can alert hospital staff to signs and 
symptoms of complications that require immediate med-
ical attention, thus lowering the risk of escalating com-
plications for the mother and baby; 
Whereas access to doula support services, especially in under-
served communities, may contribute to— 
(1) improved birth outcomes, both physically and 
emotionally; and 
(2) lower health care costs by reducing the risk of— 
(A) low-birth weight babies; 
(B) complications that might otherwise go un-
noticed; 
(C) low-risk cesarean deliveries; and 
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(D) epidural anesthesia; 
Whereas training members of underserved communities to be-
come doulas and support mothers in their own commu-
nities can— 
(1) help provide employment opportunities for im-
proving maternal health; and 
(2) build trust and reduce adverse consequences of 
racial bias for pregnant and postpartum women of color; 
and 
Whereas community-based maternal health care models, in-
cluding doula support services, in collaboration with ob-
stetrical care, show great promise in improving, and re-
ducing disparities in, maternal health outcomes: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the important role of doulas in 
providing respectful, responsive care to all women, 
including women in underserved communities who 
lack access to maternal health services; 
(2) acknowledges that doula support services 
provide continuous physical and emotional support 
to help mothers achieve healthy pregnancies and safe 
deliveries and recoveries; 
(3) urges greater recognition for the important 
role that doulas play in— 
(A) supporting improved pregnancy, birth, 
and postpartum outcomes, including maternal 
mental health; 
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(B) reducing health care costs and working 
towards the elimination of health disparities; 
and 
(C) overcoming barriers for assisting low- 
income women of color and women in rural 
areas with access to health and social supports; 
(4) recognizing the Doula week to raise aware-
ness for, and advocate for the benefits of, doulas and 
the support services doulas provide; and 
(5) recognizes the importance of access to doula 
support services, especially in underserved commu-
nities. 
Æ 
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