The goal of Medicaid coverage of doula care is threefold, according to advocates: support people who are giving birth, provide culturally congruent care and compensate doulas fairly for their work.

While you might only associate doulas with a baby’s birth, they can actually help with all the phases that a woman’s womb might go through—from fertility treatments to abortion procedures.

Death is hard to talk about. But death doula Alua Arthur says if we want to live presently and die peacefully, we have to radically reshape our relationship with death.

As an end-of-life doula, Heymann is here to help Branscomb, who has cancer, accept that fact—and make his remaining days as meaningful as possible. "We help people do the work of dying," she says.

Leda Ward is a DONA-certified labor support doula and a certified lactation counselor in New York. Robin Elise Weiss is a childbirth educator, certified doula and lactation consultant, and the ...