UNC Birth Partners

“It is an honor and privilege to support a person during childbirth, to walk them through the steps of labor and provide them with what they need at the moment – more information about a stage of labor, a back massage, help to get them in the tub, strategies for coping with contractions – because it makes an incredible impact on how they feel about their experience. But, it’s more than that. It’s an evidence-based practice that has been shown to improve birth outcomes. Offering this service in a major academic health center is an extraordinary thing.”

Rhonda Lanning

Birth doulas are members of the health care team who provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to individuals before, during, and shortly after childbirth. In the Triangle area, the number of families hiring doulas for support is on the rise. With research that links doula support to improved health outcomes and birth experiences, including a doula begins to feel like a necessity. But, this care is not accessible to everyone. Doula services are generally not reimbursed by health insurance in North Carolina and therefore costs are often out of reach for many families.

Led by School of Nursing faculty Dr. Rhonda Lanning, Birth Partners is a volunteer doula program with approximately 120 doulas at UNC Health. The program provides doula services free of charge to families giving birth at N.C. Women’s Hospital. Volunteer doulas commit to providing labor support for at least 12 hours per month, often in addition to being full-time graduate or undergraduate students or working full-time jobs. The program is making a difference in the care of families in the Triangle. In 2023 the volunteer doulas provided meaningful support to nearly 800 people giving birth at N.C Women’s Hospital.