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Western Pennsylvania experts advocating in support of doulas | TribLIVE.com
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Western Pennsylvania experts advocating in support of doulas

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop
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Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Cailyn Giammarco, of Castle Shannon, participates in a group exercise with her teammates on how to comfortably position a woman in labor for rest on top of pillows on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at Magee-Womens Research Institute in Oakland. The program was part of the Magee-Womens Research Institute for training doulas, who work as support for clients who are undergoing pregnancy, before and after childbirth.
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Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Benayah Jordan, of Sheridan, participates in a partner exercise with her teammate Cailyn Giammarco of Castle Shannon, left, on how to help physically support clients who are pregnant on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at Magee-Womens Research Institute in Oakland.

Doulas provide physical, emotional and informational support for parents during labor.

The care these individuals provide is not usually covered by health insurance.

There is movement towards having their services paid for, as well as certifications for all doulas, said Robert Ferguson, chief policy officer for the Jewish Healthcare Foundation in Pittsburgh.

“It’s so important to care for these moms through pregnancy and postpartum, “ Ferguson said. “We want to capture the expertise of doulas. We’ve put on a full-court press to develop an approach to pregnant and postpartum care. They are important health care workers.”

The “Impact of Doulas on Healthy Birth Outcomes” study on the National Library of Medicine website found that the group that was doula-assisted were four times less likely to have a low birth weight baby, two times less likely to experience a birth complication involving themselves or their baby, and significantly more likely to initiate breastfeeding.


Related:


Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas embrace parents though the loss of a baby

Olivia’s Angels Perinatal Palliative Care Program helps families through loss of a newborn


Doulas are separate from midwives, who are health care professionals who can provide gynecological examinations, contraceptive counseling, prescriptions, and labor and delivery care, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Oakland hosted a birth doula training event last summer and hired 11 people.

Two who took the class were Cailyn Giammarco of Castle Shannon and Benayah Jordan of Sheridan. They learned how to help position a woman in labor, support her and become patient advocates.

“We hope becoming doulas that there can be better outcomes for pregnant women,” Giammarco said. “We are here to help moms and be a voice for them when they need it the most. Bringing new life into the world is amazing.”

UPMC Magee had seven birth circle doulas attend training in perinatal loss through Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas. Another session is planned for May at the Wolfe Memorial funeral home in Churchill.

Tara Stickley, unit director, Womancare Birth Center, at UPMC Magee said it is essential to be there for parents in need of end-of-life care for their baby.

Last July, UPMC Magee opened Jane’s Room, a place for grieving, for photo shoots, for a religious ceremony or just an area away from everything that’s happening in a maternity ward. Stickley said it is important to have discussions about baby loss.

“Families need to feel like they aren’t alone,” Stickley said. “We provide them with keepsakes to take home. We have one shot at making everlasting memories. We talk to them about every feature of their baby from hair to ears to nose, fingers and toes.”

Better care for moms and newborns are the goals of legislation from Rep. Morgan B. Cephas of the 192nd District/Philadelphia County and the work of PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy.

“We have seen an alarming increase in pregnancy- related deaths, with Black women bearing a disproportionate burden at a rate more than double the statewide average,” Cephas wrote.

Cephas, who is vice-chair of the PA Women’s Health Caucus and treasurer of the Women’s Caucus, wrote “health care is the most disparate it has ever been, with race-based and class-based implicit biases and discrimination that results in compounding the effects of iniquity felt by marginalized and underserved patients. “

PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy is on a mission to cut the U.S. stillbirth rate by 20% by the end of 2030, in half by 2050, and in time, eradicate all preventable stillbirths.

The PA Doula Commission officially became a nonprofit organization. It is focused on fair reimbursement strategies for doulas and working on Pennsylvania state certification and standards. The commission was founded by individuals from four areas of the state, Gerria Coffee, president, from north central, Aleta Heard, vice-president, from western, Theresa Pettaway, treasurer, from southeastern and Lauren Pietrowski, secretary, from south central.

Their mission “is to promote equitable access to doula services through workforce development for the doula profession while facilitating childbirth with dignity, improving perinatal health outcomes, and eliminating barriers by reducing healthcare disparities. “

They said fair reimbursement strategies, certification, developing a provider type for Medicaid reimbursement, recognition, promotion and protection for the doula profession, and creating an advisory board members are the best ways to support doulas so they can support people giving birth.

“Our goal is to be reimbursed fairly for what we do,” said Pietrowski.

Heard said they want to set a standard for doulas, because Pennsylvania is lacking in that area. She said the commission represents all doulas from across the state.

It is also important to provide equitable access to all, said Coffee, and to make it a safe environment for people of color, the LGBTQ community and others who may feel excluded to have the care of a doula.

“It’s about inclusivity,” Coffee said. “It is about everyone.”

Ferguson said they want to capture the expertise of doulas.

“We want more certified doulas,” Ferguson said. “They are important health care workers.”

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people and a weekly column about things to do in Pittsburgh. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.

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Categories: Health | Local | Oakland | Pittsburgh
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