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Doula Services

A doula doesn't replace your OB or midwife. They add something different – a consistent, trusted presence who knows you, advocates for you and stays with you through every stage of pregnancy, through birth and beyond.

Featured Amenities

Our doula services include:

  • Birth doula support
  • Postpartum doula support
  • Bereavement doula support
  • Prenatal visits and labor preparation
  • Culturally matched, multilingual team
  • Support for different birth types
  • Medicaid coverage available

Support That Stays with You

Our doulas meet you where you are – in your home, neighborhood and hospital room. Each doula is matched to you based on your language, culture and personal preferences, helping you build a real connection based on shared experience. Your doula can help you feel less alone and more confident before labor, during delivery and after your baby arrives.

Your doula will meet with you at least one to two times before your due date to help you prepare for delivery. They’ll review your birth preferences, answer questions and work with you to build the kind of relationship that makes labor less intimidating. Between visits, your doula is available by phone and email. Meetings can take place wherever it is most comfortable for you: your home, a coffee shop or a community space.

When labor begins, your doula will be by your side. With the help of your medical clinician, they'll help you determine when to leave for the hospital and, once there, they’ll stay with you through birth, providing comfort techniques, positioning support, emotional reassurance and clear information when decisions need to be made. Doulas are permitted in the operating room for C-sections and may stay during epidural placement and recovery. Your doula works for you, not the hospital.

After your baby arrives, your postpartum doula provides practical in-home care to help your whole family find its footing. Visits typically run four hours during the day or eight hours overnight. Support includes feeding and lactation guidance, newborn soothing techniques, family sleep strategies, light housekeeping and meal preparation, so you can focus on healing and bonding. Your doula is also trained to recognize signs of postpartum mood changes and can help connect you to the right care when needed.

Our bereavement doulas provide free, specialized support for families expecting the loss of their baby or navigating an uncertain diagnosis after birth. Your doula will be with you at the hospital, hold space for the full range of emotions you may experience and follow up with you up to five times after birth. Phone and email support continue for up to a year. This service is funded entirely through donations from other families.

Our doula team speaks more than a dozen languages – including Spanish, Somali, Amharic, Mandarin, Arabic, French, Hindi and Swahili – and reflects the diverse communities of the families we serve. Patients are matched with doulas based on cultural background, language, religious beliefs and personal preference. The JUST Birth Network extends this commitment to culturally centered care specifically for Black, Native American, Alaska Native and Pacific Islander families.

Doula services are available at multiple price points. Birth doula fees range from $800 for apprentice doulas to $1,200–$3,000 for experienced doulas. Postpartum doulas range from $45–$65 per hour, depending on experience level. FSA and HSA funds are accepted, and Medicaid covers birth doula services for qualifying families. Payment plans are also available.

Find Care That's Close to You

Providers Specializing in Doula Services

At Swedish, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.

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A Difference You Can Feel

Many families come to us uncertain about whether a doula is right for them. Here's what they learned during the process.

On having support

"Our doula was able to focus on what I needed and assist in making sure my needs were met … I always felt supported with my doula by my side, and I was able to have the birth experience I wanted."

On epidurals and doulas

"I wanted to labor unmedicated for as long as possible … Even after having the epidural, her presence was pivotal in my labor progressing. I can't sing her praises high enough."

On partnership

"Having a Providence Swedish doula present … empowered me and freed my husband to be present for the birth in his own way. This was invaluable!"

On knowing what you need

"My doula provided support that I didn't even know I needed … No part of the experience felt overwhelming because I always felt like I had options provided to me and was in capable hands."

Frequently Asked Questions

The first step is filling out an intake form – we have one for Medicaid patients and one for those using private insurance or paying out of pocket. From there, our team will be in touch to walk you through your options and introduce you to available doulas.

You'll be able to interview doulas and choose the one you feel most connected with. We recommend starting this process early in your pregnancy – ideally in the first or second trimester – so you and your doula have time to build a real relationship before your due date. Payment plans are also available.

A midwife is a medical clinician – they monitor your health, order lab work, manage complications and deliver your baby. A doula is focused entirely on your experience – your comfort, your questions, your emotional state and your sense of control throughout labor and delivery.

Midwifery care often involves rotating providers, which means you may not have the same midwife with you throughout your labor. Your doula, by contrast, stays with you from the moment labor begins through delivery. Many families choose to have both a clinician, such as a midwife, and a doula on their birth team.

Your doula is not counted as a visitor or extra support person – you can have up to three support people plus your doula. Doulas are permitted in the operating room for C-sections with regional anesthesia, in addition to a support person like a spouse or partner. They're also allowed in the room during epidural placement and during recovery after a C-section.

These policies apply to both Providence Swedish Women’s Health Institute-contracted doulas and doulas from outside our program, so if you've already hired someone independently, they're welcome, too.

Providence Swedish Women’s Health Institute doulas are independent contractors, which means the program maintains independence while still upholding the standards of our network. Your doula is credentialed through our program, but they work for you. Of every fee paid, 80% goes directly to your doula. The remaining 20% covers program administration and funds free doula care for high-risk families.

The program is entirely self-funded and nonprofit, which means it sustains itself through the care it provides – and every family that hires a doula helps make it possible for another family to have one, too.

Our doula team has been built to reflect the diverse population of families we serve. Our doulas speak many different languages – including Spanish, Somali, Amharic, Chinese-Mandarin, English, French, German, Oromo, Polish, Hindi, Arabic, Swahili and Tigrinya – and represent a wide range of races and ethnicities.

The program also includes the JUST Birth Network, which uplifts the Black/African American, Indigenous, Pacific Islander and Latinx birth experience with culturally matched doula care. Additionally, our white doulas participate in ongoing training in cultural humility, white privilege and anti-racism.