Impact of Presence of Doulas on Perceived Racism for Black Mothers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

Introduction: Few studies have explored the impact of doulas on Black births in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this pilot study was to explore the birth experiences of Black mothers in the United States who used doulas and gave birth during the pandemic. More specifically, we aimed to compare the experiences of Black mothers who used doulas with those who did not; and explore differences between the physical presence of doulas, virtual doulas, and absence of doulas.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional descriptive study that utilized an electronic survey administered to participants who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed the online survey between March 2021 and August 2021.

Results: Sixty-two survey recipients participated in the study. Many of the participants-both with and without doulas-reported being afraid of enduring pregnancy-related complications (70.9%) or death due to the color of their skin (54.8%). Five of 13 participants with a doula present in the delivery room agreed that their doula decreased their experience with racism during pregnancy (P=.03). Eighty percent of participants with a doula present in the delivery room reported an improved birth experience.

Conclusion: Results of our pilot study suggest that having a doula physically present (not including virtually present) in the delivery room could make a positive difference in Black women's birth experiences, especially with regards to racism. Our study had a small sample size and further research is needed to draw more generalizable conclusions.